-

;" j
L

APPROVED FOR RELEASE DATE: MAY 2007

7 February 1962

OCI No. 0697/62

THE INDIAN COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE SINO-SOVIET DISPUTE

(Reference T i t l e :

ESAU X V I - 6 2 )

Office of Current Intelligence CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

NTALNS INF'OR DEFENSEOFTHE

MANNER TO

FT[ I

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA AND THE SINO-SOVIET DISPUTE T h i s is a working p a p e r , t h e second i n a series o f ESAU s t u d i e s a s s e s s i n g t h e e f f e c t s of t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e on c e r t a i n key Communist p a r t i e s . The p a p e r tries t o show how t h e development of a b r o a d S i n o - S o v i e t c o n f l i c t i n r e c e n t y e a r s h a s f o s t e r e d p r o - S o v i e t and pro-Chinese f a c t i o n a l i s m which now t h r e a t e n s t o s p l i t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y . The p r e p a r a t i o n of this p a p e r h a s been g r e a t l y a i d e d by
t h e c o o p e r a t i o n and a s s i s t a n c e of s e v e r a l o t h e r a n a l y s t s , especially of t h e Asian-African D i v i s i o n of t h e F r e e World I , A l l e n Whiting o f t h e S p e c i a l S t u d i e s

Group of t h e Department of S t a t e , and t h e a n a l y s t s of t h e Radio Propaganda Branch o f FBIS. The . f i r s t t w o c h a p t e r s of t h e p a p e r a l s o r e f l e c t a d e b t t o t h e work of Kautsky (Moscow and t h e Communist P a r t y of I n d i a , New York, 1 9 5 6 ) . O v e r s t r e e t and Windmiller (Communism i n I n d i a , B e r k e l e y , 1 9 5 9 ) , and Masani (The Communist P a r t y of I n d i a , N e w York, 1 9 5 4 ) . W e a l o n e , however, b e a r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for t h e c o n c l u s i o n s reached i n t h i s paper.

L E E ?

TU INDIAN COMMUNIST PARTY AND TEE SINO-SOVIET DISPUTE EE

..

I.

PROLOGUE: CPI STRUGGLE OVER THE FOUR-CLASS ALLIANCE (1947-1951).........,..................................1

A. B.

C.
11.

S o v i e t S h i f t t o M i l i t a n t L i n e (1947) .2 Ranadive R i s e t o Power i n CPI...,..................4 CPSU S h i f t Toward Broad A l l i a n c e s , Away From A r m e d Struggle.........................................10

..............

THE C P I AND THE CHANGING SOVIET LINE TOWARD NEHRU (1951-1955)....*......................................17

A.

B. C.
111.

E v o l u t i o n of Soviet L i n e B e f o r e S t a l i n ' s Death.. .18 Death of S t a l i n and T h i r d (Madurai) C P I Congress, .20 The C P I and t h e Development of t h e Bandung L i n e . . . 2 2
I

CONSEQUENCES O F THE 20TR CPSU CONGRESS (1956-1958)....30

A. B.

C.
IV.

The E f f e c t s of D e S t a l i n i z a t i o n The E f f e c t s of t h e L i n e on P e a c e f u l T r a n s i t i o n t o Socialism.....................................35 Formation of t h e Kerala Government and Its Aftermath........................................40

....................

31

MOSCOW-PEIPING POLARIZATION OF CPI BEGINS:

B.
A.

1959,.....47

C.

D.
E. F.
V.

The 21st cpsu Congress....*................,......47 The F a l l of t h e Kerala Government ( J a n u a r y - J u l y in c n \ ~~~~~.*.**..*....................*.............*.51 The T i b e t a n Revolt................................55 The B o r d e r Dispute................................58 The October A n n i v e r s a r y Talks.....................69 Increasing L e f t i s t T i e s with Peiping, 74

.............

THE C P I AND THE SINO-SOVIET POLEMIC:

A.

1960,...,,......79

B.
C.

S o v i e t Moves i n E a r l y 1960........................80 P e i p i n g ' s L e n i n A n n i v e r s a r y Articles..............83 The W T C l a s h i n PeiPing.........................88 FU (continued)

:
~

i
I

,
. .. . . .
I .

: *

'

. : ... .

D.

E.

F.
G.

The B u c h a r e s t Conference and Its A f t e r m a t h . .90 The CPSU's A u g u s t L e t t e r and Its Consequences...,.99 The Hanoi C o n f r o n t a t i o n and t h e CCP's September L e t t e r ..........................................lo4 The Moscow Conference (November) .................107
' . I

......

VI.

THE I N D I A N PARTY APPROACHES A SPLIT:

A.

1961

...........111

B.
C. D.

E. F.

L e f t - F a c t i o n Resurgence Before t h e A p r i l Congress .............................~..........112 S o v i e t and Chinese P o l i c y Toward I n d i a B e f o r e t h e Congress....................................l25 The I n d i a n P a r t y Congress, A p r i l . . . . . . . , . . , , . . . . . 1 3 1 The CPI Between Its Congress and t h e 22nd CPSU Congress ................................~.......153 The 22nd CPSU Congress and Its . A f t e r m a t h . . . . . . . . . l 5 9 P r o s p e c t s f o r t h e I n d i a n Communis* P a r t y 168

.........

-C

AL

THE INDIAN COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE SINO-SOVIET DISPUTE

summary By J a n u a r y 1962 t h e Communist P a r t y of I n d i a (CPI) had r e a c h e d a p o i n t a t which a n open s c h i s m i n t h e p a r t y i n t h e coming y e a r had become a serious p o s s i b i l i t y . The r e n e w a l of t h e Sino-Soviet c o n f l i c t a t t h e 22nd CPSU Congress had g r e a t l y worsened an a l r e a d y t e n s e s i t u a t i o n w i t h i n t h e Ind i a n p a r t y , and s t r e n g t h e n e d forces which f o r many y e a r s had been working toward a s p l i t i n t h e C P I : t h e growth of unprecedented f a c t i o n a l i s m and i n d i s c i p l i n e , t h e weakening of t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e p a r t y c e n t e r a t t h e hands of d e f i a n t p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y committees, t h e slow d e c l i n e i n t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e CPSU f o r many r e a s o n s and t h e growth of Chinese p a r t y p r e s t i g e i n t h e e y e s of many CPI members, and t h e s t e a d y p o l a r i z a t i o n of l e f t i s t and r i g h t i s t I n d i a n p a r t y f a c t i o n s a l o n g pro-Chinese and p r o - S o v i e t l i n e s . T h i s p r o c e s s had r e c e i v e d its i n i t i a l impetus d u r i n g t h e i n t e r n a l CPI b a t t l e between 1947 and 1 9 5 1 over t h e methods of struggle t h e p a r t y s h o u l d f o l l o w , t h e immediate g o a l i t s h o u l d p u r s u e , and t h e classes it s h o u l d admit i n t o its a l l i a n c e . A t t h a t t i m e t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r Ranadive t o o k c o n t r o l of t h e CPI as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y , and i n c o n f o r m i t y w i t h what he t h o u g h t was CPSU p o l i c y he l e d t h e I n d i a n p a r t y i n t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of v i o l e n t i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y t a c t i c s a g a i n s t the Nehru government. Modeling h i s e f f o r t s on t h e Russian r e v o l u t i o n , Ranadi've gave p r i m a r y emphasis t o t h e s t r u g g l e i n t h e c i t i e s r a t h e r t h a n i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e ; and he c a l l e d f o r a one-stage r e v o l u t i o n t o overthrow both t h e i m p e r i a l i s t enemy and t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e s i m u l t a n e o u s l y and b r i n g about immediate Communist p a r t y r u l e i n I n d i a . R a n a d i v e ' s t a c t i c s f a i l e d d i s m a l l y , and were d i s a s t r o u s f o r t h e p a r t y . O p p o s i t i o n t o Ranadive r o s e t h r o u g h o u t t h e CPI, and he attempted t o s u p p r e s s it r u t h l e s s l y , i n c r e a s i n g t h e c h a o s w i t h i n the p a r t y .

The leaders of t h e Andhra p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y committee t h e n came f o r w a r d and a t t a c k e d R a n a d i v e ' s l i n e ; c i t i n g a

r e l a t i v e l y s u c c e s s f u l p e a s a n t r e v o l t which had been g o i n g on f o r some time i n t h e T e l e n g a n a d i s t r i c t of s o u t h I n d i a , t h e y called f o r t h e p a r t y t o abandon i n s u r r e c t i o n i n t h e c i t i e s and t o r e l y i n s t e a d upon armed s t r u g g l e i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . They also demanded t h a t t h e CPI a l l y i t s e l f for t h i s p u r p o s e w i t h a n t i - f e u d a l s e c t i o n s o f t h e well-to-do p e a s a n t r y , as well as w i t h a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t s e c t i o n s of t h e urban b o u r g e o i s i e (the "national bourgeoisie") T h e r e f o r e t h e y wished t h e p a r t y t o a i m a t a two-stage r e v o l u t i o n i n which e f f o r t s would be directed first a t o u s t i n g from power t h e a g e n t s of i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l i s m , and o n l y l a t e r a t s e c u r i n g f i r m Communist cont r o l o f t h e I n d i a n government. The Andhra leaders e x p l i c i t l y s t a t e d t h a t t h e Chinese r e v o l u t i o n r a t h e r t h a n t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n w a s t h e i r model, and t h e y f e r v e n t l y h a i l e d Mao Tset u n g as t h e i r i n s p i r a t i o n and g u i d e .

Ranadive responded w i t h p u b l i c a t t a c k s n o t only upon t h e Andhra l e a d e r s h i p b u t a l s o upon Mao; Ranadive a t t e m p t e d t o p o r t r a y Mao's advocacy o f a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e as an a n t i - M a r x i s t b e t r a y a l o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n and an a t t e m p t t o restore c a p i t a l i s m . T h e r e is e v i d e n c e s u g g e s t i n g t h a t Ranadive.was encouraged t o do t h i s by signS-'of s e r i o u s s t r a i n between Mao and S t a l i n a t t h e t i m e t h e CCP w a s coming t o power i n 1948 and 1949. E v e n t u a l l y , however, t h e CPSU a c c e p t e d t h e d e s i r a b i l i t y o f t h e a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l bourgeoisie and t h e two-stage r e v o l u t i o n , and Ranadive f e l l from power i n t h e @ I , t o be r e p l a c e d by t h e Andhra l e a d e r s h i p . The a Andhra leaders p u b l i c l y a p o l o g i z e d t o M o f o r R a n a d i v e ' s att a c k s , and a t t e m p t e d t o a p p l y t h e l i n e t h e y had a d v o c a t e d . P e a s a n t r e v o l t , however, proved no more s u c c e s s f u l t h a n urban i n s u r r e c t i o n , and armed ' s t r u g g l e was f i n a l l y abandoned a l t o gether, w i t h t h e Andhra group i n t u r n r e p l a c e d by a new leade r s h i p headed by Ajoy Ghosh as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y .

Two l a s g i n g r e s u l t s flowed from t h e s e e v e n t s . F i r s t , although t h e "Chinese p a t h " had n o t proven e n t i r e l y a p p l i c a b l e t o I n d i a , a d e g r e e o f Chinese i n f l u e n c e w a s i m p l a n t e d and p e r manently l e g i t i m i z e d w i t h i n t h e CPI as a s o u r c e of i n s p i r a t i o n and g u i d a n c e second o n l y t o t h e CPSU. Secondly, t h e f a c t i o n a l i s m , b l a t a n t i n d i s c i p l i n e , and r e g i o n a l d i s r e g a r d f o r c e n t r a l a u t h o r i t y which had grown d u r i n g t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t Ranadive became permanent f e a t u r e s of CPI l i f e , t o a d e g r e e s e e n i n h a r d l y any o t h e r Communist p a r t y . The a u t h o r i t y o f t h e c e n t r a l CPI machinery w a s h e n c e f o r t h s o weakened i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e

I
l

I
I

I
I

. .
I

. ..

. :

<

. ..

. .

L
p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s t h a t never again d i d t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p make a s e r b u s a t t e m p t t o e n f o r c e a uniform, r i g i d l i n e upon t h e o f t e n d e f i a n t p r o v i n c e s . The most i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e of t h e n e x t few y e a r s (195155) f o r t h e CPI w a s t h e g r a d u a l l y s o f t e n i n g S o v i e t a t t i t u d e toward Nehru. By s l o w degreesthe I n d i a n p a r t y w a s f o r c e d t o follow t h e e v o l u t i o n of Soviet p o l i c y i n agreeing f i r s t t h a t t h e r e were some p o s i t i v e a s p e c t s t o N e h r u ' s g e n e r a l l y b l a c k f o r e i g n p o l i c y , t h e n t h a t N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y was g e n e r a l l y good b u t t h a t h i s d o m e s t i c p o l i c y w a s Bad, and f i n a l l y t h a t t h e r e were f a v o r a b l e features of h i s d o m e s t i c p o l i c y as w e l l . The CPI had t o be bludgeoned by bfoscow and its agents' i n t h e c e n t r a l CPI l e a d e r s h i p i n t o t a k i n g each p a i n f u l s t e p a l o n g t h i s p a t h , u s u a l l y w i t h a c o n s i d e r a b l e t i m e l a g behind t h e development of S o v i e t p o l i c y ; e a c h s u c h g r a d u a l m o d i f i c a t i o n o f l i n e toward Nehru was accomplished o n l y o v e r t h e s t r e n u o u s o b j e c t i o n s of a large s e c t i o n of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y which d i d n o t wish what it r e g a r d e d as o p p o r t u n i t i e s - - t o advance t h e cause o f Communis*i i n I n d i a by o p p o s i n g Nehru--to be s a c r i f i c e d f o r t h e s a k e o f S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y i n t e r e s t s . Such CPI r e c a l c i t r a n c e w a s r e f l e c t e d i n t h e p a r t y program a d o p t e d i n 1951, and t h e n w a s s t r o n g l y m a n i f e s t e d a t t h e T h i r d CPI Congress a t Madurai i n December 1953. However, t h e S o v i e t movement away from h o s t i l i t y t o Nehru, begun c a u t i o u s l y t h r e e years b e f o r e S t a l i n ' s d e a t h , a c c e l e r a t e d g r e a t l y t h e r e a f t e r i n t h e Bandung p e r i o d of 1954 and 1955, when Nehru exchanged v i s i t s w i t h t h e S o v i e t and Chinese leaders and t h e USSR began a program of economic a s s i s t a n c e t o I n d i a . Under t h e impact of t h e s e e v e n t s , t h e C P I became i n c r e a s i n g l y bound t o a modera t e p o l i c y i n v o l v i n g r e l i a n c e upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s . T h i s t r e n d was t o r e c e i v e i t s g r e a t e s t development a f t e r t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress i n 1956. By t h e t i m e of S t a l i n q s d e a t h , any s e r i o u s d i v e r g e n c e between C h i n e s e and S o v i e t p o l i c y toward t h e " n a t i o n a l liberat i o n movement" would seem t o have d i s a p p e a r e d , and Moscow and P e l p i n g a p p e a r t o have a c t e d i n c l o s e c o o r d i n a t i o n i n f o s t e r i n g w a r m e r r e l a t i o n s w i t h N e h r u i n 1954 and 1955. However, t h e r e l a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e of t h e Chinese p a r t y and t h e Chinese r e v o l u t i o n as a g u i d e t o Asia--which t h e CCP had s t u b b o r n l y upheld d u r i n g S t a l i n ' s l i f e t i m e - - w a s i n e v i t a b l y increased as a r e s u l t of h i s d e a t h , a f a c t r e f l e c t e d d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d i n statements by;:botb S o v i e t and Chinese l e a d e r s .

. .

I
I
I

. .

The 2 0 t h Congress of t h e CPSU i n F e b r u a r y 1956 and t h e e v e n t s which flowed from it a d m i n i s t e r e d a series of fundamental s h o c k s t o t h e CPI w i t h r e s u l t s which were t o a f f e c t , g r e a t l y t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o Moscow and t o P e i p i n g down t o t h e p r e s e n t day. The f i r s t and most imp o r t a n t of t h e s e s h o c k s w a s t h a t of d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n , which on t h e one hand g r e a t l y i n t e n s i f i e d t h e s p i r i t of c y n i c i s m , t h e i n t e r n a l d i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , and t h e p e r s o n a l i n d i s c i p l i n e a l r e a d y w i d e s p r e a d b e c a u s e of t h e p a r t y ' s p r e v i o u s h i s t o r y , and on t h e o t h e r hand g r e a t l y a c c e l e r a t e d t h e long-term dec l i n e i n t h e a u t h o r i t y and p r e s t i g e of t h e CPSU which had begun w i t h t h e d e a t h of S t a l i n , w h i l e s i m u l t a n e o u s l y e n h a n c i n g t h e a p p e a l of t h e CCP t o t h o s e s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y s y m p a t h e t i c t o P e i p i n g ' s v i e w p o i n t . T h i s development was f o l l o w e d by t h e S o v i e t - s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e Hungarian R e v o l u t i o n and t h e s u b s e q u e n t e x e c u t i o n of Nagy, which weakened t h e CPSU's p o s i t i o n among r i g h t i s t s e c t i o n s of the p a r t y . A t h i r d d i f f i c u l t y was meanwhile o c c a s i o n e d by t h e 2 0 t h Congress l i n e on p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism, and p a r t i c u l a r l y by t h e extreme i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h a t l i n e as a p p l i e d t o I n d i a prov i d e d by an a u t h o r i t a t i v e S o v i e t a r t i c l e i n t h e summer of 1956 which i m p l i e d t h a t Nehru, and n o t t h e CPI, w o u l d l e a d I n d i a i n t o t h e s o c i a l i s t system. T h i s v i e w p o i n t w a s d i r e c t l y c h a l l e n g e d i n p u b l i c by g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y Ghosh, and t h e CPSU soon retreated t o a more o r t h o d o x p o s i t i o n - - w h i c h , however, s t i l l e n j o i n e d CPI s u p p o r t f o r Nehru and CPI r e l i a n c e p r i m a r i l y upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s . F o r c e s i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y f a v o r i n g t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y p a t h were s t r e n g t h e n e d by t h e p a r t y ' s a c c e s s i o n t o power t h r o u g h e l e c t i o n s i n t h e s t a t e o f Kerala i n April 1957; and t h e CPI moved from t h e A p r i l 1956 l i n e of t h e P a l g h a t p a r t y c o n g r e s s (where t h e p a r t y c a u t i o u s l y acknowledged t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism t h r o u g h p a r l i a m e n t a r y means backed by mass movements, and announced its i n t e n t i o n t o e x p l o r e t h i s p o s s i b i l i t y by conducti n g i t s e l f as a p a r l i a m e n t a r y o p p o s i t i o n ) t o t h e A p r i l 1958 l i n e of t h e Amritsar Congress (which exuded c o n f i d e n c e t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a k e o v e r i n K e r a l a c o u l d be r e p e a t e d i n o t h e r I n d i a n s t a t e s and e v e n t u a l l y even i n t h e c e n t e r ) .
- e a n w h i l e , by t h e f a l l o f 1956 t h e f i r s t i n d i c a t i o n s began t o a p p e a r of growing d i v e r g e n c e between t h e Chinese and S o v i e t p a r t i e s o v e r how f a r t h e s o f t l i n e toward t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e of Asian c o u n t r i e s s h o u l d be p u r s u e d . C h i n e s e o b j e c t i o n s on t h i s s c o r e , o r i g i n a l l y s u g g e s t e d a t t h e t i m e o f

..

I
I
I
'

- iv

I .

..
'

,.

I
I

t h e E i g h t h CCP Congress i n September 1956, were r e i n f o r c e d as t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y became i n c r e a s i n g l y committed t o t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y l i n e i n t h e wake of t h e Kerala e l e c t i o n . Chinese comments began t o be h e a r d i n 1958 c o n c e r n i n g t h e p e r n i c i o u s e f f e c t t h e Kerala M i n i s t r y w a s h a v i n g on t h e m i l i t a n c y and Marxist o r t h o d o x y o f t h e C P I . A t t h e same t i m e t h e l e f t wing of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y l e d by t h e Andhra, West Bengal, and P u n j a b o r g a n i z a t i o n s , i n f u r i a t e d a t t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s and i n h i b i t i o n s which were imposed upon t h e p a r t y as a whole by t h e need t o p r e s e r v e t h e Kerala government i n power, became more and more i n c l i n e d t o r e g a r d t h e l o n g - r e s p e c t e d Chinese p a r t y as a s o u r c e of i n s p i r a t i o n more c o n g e n i a l t o its i n t e r e s t s t h a n Moscow.

!
I

. .

A t t h e end of 1 9 5 8 t h e r e w a s a momentary h a r d e n i n g of t h e S o v i e t l i n e toward Nehru, o c c a s i o n e d p r i m a r i l y by t h e campaign b e i n g conducted by t h e Congress P a r t y and o t h e r forces i n Kerala t o o u s t t h e Communist government. This firmer S o v i e t a t t i t u d e was e x e m p l i f i e d by an a r t i c l e by Yudin in Problems of Peace and S o c i a l i s m r e b u t t i n g Nehru's a t t a c k on Communists as a d d i c t e d t o v i o l e n c e ; Y u d i n ' s a r t i c l e p l a c e d t h e onus f o r any p o s s i b l e v i o l e n c e on b o u r g e o i s r e s i s t a n c e t o a p e a c e f u l t r a n s f e r of power t o t h e Communist p a r t y .

T h i s S o v i e t s h i f t i n emphasis proved t o be temporary, howe v e r , and i n 1959 t h e p o l a r i z a t i o n of t h e CPI between b moderate p r o - S o v i e t wing and a m i l i t a n t pro-Chinese wing w a s t o i n crease g r e a t l y . In 1959 t h e CPI f o r t h e first t i m e became g r a v e l y a f f e c t e d by t h e g r o w i n g d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e S o v i e t and C h i n e s e p o s t u r e s toward t h e " i m p e r i a l i s t " world', t h e i r att i t u d e s toward t h e r u l i n g n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e o f underdeveloped c o u n t r i e s , and t h e i r views on t h e most a p p r o p r i a t e means of Communist assumption of power. The g a p between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP on each of t h e s e i s s u e s , which had been a l t e r n a t e l y expanding and c o n t r a c t i n g i n p r e v i o u s y e a r s , s u d d e n l y widened g r e a t l y . T h i s w a s p a r t l y t h e r e s u l t of e v e n t s o v e r which n e i t h e r p a r t y had c o n t r o l : t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t , Nehru's d e c i s i o n t o o u s t t h e Communist government i n Kerala, Washington's d e c i s i o n t o i n v i t e Khrushchev t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . It w a s a l s o , however, t h e r e s u l t of a c o n s c i o u s t u r n i n g t o t h e r i g h t by t h e CPSU and t o t h e l e f t by t h e CCP. On Moscow's s i d e , t h e r e w a s an a p p a r e n t d e c i s i o n t a k e n i n J a n u a r y 1959 t o abandon t h e s t r o n g e r t o n e used toward Nehru i n t h e f a l l o f 1958 and t o bear w i t h t h i s b o u r g e o i s n a t i o n a l i s t leader f o r a c o n s i d e r able d i s t a n c e . T h i s r e s u l t e d f i r s t i n peremptory CPSU r e s t r a i n t
- v -

2 .

.,

.. . . .

..

. .

.
I

.
*

of t h e CPI upon t h e o c c a s i o n of Nehru's o u s t e r of t h e Kerala governiuent, and l a t e r i n t h e S o v i e t a d o p t i o n of a p u b l i c l y n e u t r a l p o s t u r e toward t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e (a p o s t u r e b i t t e r l y r e s e n t e d by t h e CCP), as w e l l as i n v i g o r o u s S o v i e t e f f o r t s t o c o n v i n c e Nehru of S o v i e t f r i e n d s h i p as t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e d e v e l o p e d . On t h e Chinese s i d e , t h e r e w a s i n stead a h a r d e n i n g of a t t i t u d e toward Nehru a t t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g of t h e y e a r , which h e l p e d t o d e t e r m i n e P e i p i n g ' s l a t e r r e s p o n s e t o e v e n t s i n Kerala and t o t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e . A t t h e same t i m e , Khrushchev i n t h e f a l l of 1959 a d o p t e d . t h e s o f t e s t l i n e toward t h e West g e n e r a l l y h e had e v e r p u b l i c l y v o i c e d i n t h e a f t e r m a t h of h i s v i s i t t o t h e United S t a t e s , w h i l e P e i p i n g grew i n c r e a s i n g l y s h r i l l i n its warnings a g a i n s t Western t r e a c h e r y and i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n of t h e S o v i e t l i n e , A g a i n s t t h i s background o f i n c r e a s i n g 1 y d i v e r g e n t p o l i c i e s ,
t h e CCP i n 1959 f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e began t o m a k e a g g r e s s i v e

e f f o r t s t o promote i t s v i e w p o i n t among s y m p a t h e t i c s e c t i o n s of t h e CPI, p a r t i c u l a r l y w i t h i n t h e m i l i t a n t West Bengal prov i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n . A t t h e same t i m e Ranadive and t h e o t h e r l e f t i s t s i n t h e p a r t y a p p a r a t u s were drawn i n c r e a s i n g l y i n t o an i d e n t i f i c a t i o n w i t h and d e f e n s e of P e i p i n g ' s p o s i t i o n i n t h e border d i s p u t e , while right-faction l e a d e r s throughout t h e p a r t y became i n c r e a s i n g l y i n c l i n e d t o c o n c i l i a t e I n d i a n n a t i o n a l i s t o p i n i o n by s u p p o r t i n g t h e Nehru g o v e r n m e n t ' s s t a n d and condemning P e i p i n g . I n 1960 t h e S o v i e t and Chinese p a r t i e s came i n t o open and r e p e a t e d c o n f l i c t , and t h i s c o n f l i c t was t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o an o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u g g l e w i t h i n t h e world Communist movement i n which b o t h s i d e s e v e n t u a l l y found t h e m s e l v e s a p p e a l i n g t o t h e l o y a l t i e s of t h e key l e a d e r s of e a c h o f t h e p r i n c i p a l Communist p a r t i e s of t h e w o r l d . Although t h e CPSU, b e c a u s e o f i t s f e a r s of p r e c i p i t a t i n g a f o r m a l s c h i s m i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , f o r a l o n g t i m e l e f t t h e CPI o u t of its e f f o r t s t o m o b i l i z e f o r e i g n Communist s u p p o r t a g a i n s t Peiping--and even a t t e m p t e d t o c o n t i n u e t o deny t o t h e CPI t h e r e a l i t y o f t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e - - t h e I n d i a n p a r t y e v e n t u a l l y had t o be drawn i n t o t h a t d i s p u t e i f o n l y because b l o c p o l i c y toward I n d i a w a s one o f t h e k e y matters a t i s s u e between Moscow and P e i p i n g . C P I r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s t o o k p a r t i n t h e Sino-Soviet c o n f r o n t a t i o n s which t o o k p l a c e i n P e i p i n g and B u c h a r e s t i n J u n e , i n Hanoi i n September, and i n Moscow i n October and November. The I n d i a n p a r t y w a s f o r m a l l y a p p r i s e d o f t h e S o v i e t p o s i t i o n i n a CPSU l e t t e r

vi

. ..

. ,.

t o t h e p a r t y c e n t e r i n August, and w a s g i v e n a Chinese r e p l y more i n d i r e c t l y t h r o u g h Best Bengal c h a n n e l s t h e next month. Under t h e impact o f t h e s e e v e n t s , t h e r i g h t i s t CPI leaders p r e s s e d an o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t l e f t i s t - f a c t i o n p o s i t i o n s , which t h e y were a n x i o u s t o i c l e n t i f y c l e a r l y w i t h CCP r e s i s t a n c e t o CPSU a u t h o r i t y ; the l e f t i s t s i n t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y machinery, for t h e i r p a r t , were anxious t o deny t h e i r own e s t r a n g e m e n t f r o m t h e CPSU by d e n y i n g as loiig a s t h e y c o u l d t h e r e a l i t y o f S i n o - S o v i e t d i f f e r e n c e s . Vhen a clearcut c h o i c e w a s f i n a l l y posed i n September, v a c i l l a t i n g and o p p o r t u n i s t i c CPI leaders ( t h e m a j o r i t y ) swung t o t h e r i g h t i s t s i d e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e CPSU, and t h e CPI p a s s e d a secret r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g P e i p i n g and s u p p o r t i n g Moscow. Passage of t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s r e s i s t e d by t h e l e f t i s t C P I n a t i o n a l l e a d e r s , however, and w a s b i t t e r l y denounced by l e f t - f a c t i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s i n t h e p r o v i n c e s t h r o u g h o u t I n d i a . One i m p o r t a n t p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n , i n West Bengal, went so f a r as t o p a s s a c o u n t e r - r e s o l u t i o n d i r e c t l y a t t a c k i n g t h e c o n d u c t of t h e CPSU and Khrushchev by name and s u p p o r t i n g P e i p i n g - - t h e o n l y such r e s o l u t i o n d e f i n i t e l y known t o have been p a s s e d i n any Communist p a r t y i n t h e world. While t h e d e l e g a t i o n l e d by Ghosh t o Moscow s u p p o r t e d Khrushchev on most i s s u e s d u r i n g t h e Nbvember c o n f e r e n c e of Communist p a r t i e s , it d i d n o t s u p p o r t h i s demand f o r a condemnation of f a c t i o n a l i s m w i t h i n t h e Communist movement ( i m p l i c i t l y , C h i n e s e f a c t i o n a l i s m ) because of t h e g r a v e d a n g e r t h a t s u c h act i o n would s p l i t t h e CPI. Khrushchev's e v e n t u a l r e t r e a t a t t h a t c o n f e r e n c e on t h i s c r u c i a l i s s u e o f d i s c i p l i n e w i t h i n t h e int e r n a t i o n a l movement--together w i t h t h e i n c l u s i o n of many Chin e s e p o s i t i o n s i n t h e ambiguous document produced by t h e conf e r e n c e - - s e r v e d t o e n c o u r a g e t h e CPI l e f t i s t s g e n e r a l l y and t o l e a v e t h o s e o f them who had o p e n l y d e f i e d t h e CPSU unrebuked and more f i r m l y e n t r e n c h e d t h a n b e f o r e .
The y e a r 1960 ended w i t h t h e l e f t f a c t i o n o f t h e CPI cont i n u i n g t o r e p o r t t o t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y and t o r e c e i v e g u i d a n c e f r o m i t , w h i l e g a t h e r i n g s t r e n g t h t h r o u g h o u t I n d i a f o r an ass a u l t on t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y machinery i n 1961. There w a s a g r a d u a l i n c r e a s e in l e f t i s t s t r e n g t h and a s s e r t i v e n e s s througho u t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y before t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s m e t i n A p r i l 1961, and S u s l o v , t h e CPSU d e l e g a t e t o t h a t c o n g r e s s , w a s o b l i g e d t o c o u n s e l Ghosh t o m a k e s u b s t a n t i a l c o n c e s s i o n s t o t h e l e f t ists on t h e wording o f t h e p a r t y ' s p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n - - i n o r d e r t o p r e s e r v e Ghosh i n o f f i c e as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y and t o p r e v e n t a t h r e a t e n e d open s p l i t i n t h e p a r t y (which n e v e r t h e l e s s

- vii

came v e r y n e a r t o m a t e r i a l i z i n g ) . T h e r e is good e v i d e n c e , howe v e r , t h a t t h e CPSU and Ghosh t h e m s e l v e s f a v o r e d a b a l a n c e d l i n e i n c l u d i n g b o t h s u p p o r t and criticism of a s p e c t s of N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n and d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s , and a long-term s t r a t e g y of b u i l d i n g a n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t through c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h " p r o g r e s s i v e " Congress P a r t y leaders t o a c h i e v e l i m i t e d nons o c i a l i s t r e f o r m s as a p r e l u d e t o t h e gradual Communist assumption o f power. S u s l o v d i d n o t have t o c o n t e n d w i t h d i r e c t Chinese c o m p e t i t i o n a t t h e CPI Congress, t h e p r o s p e c t i v e CCP r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s h a v i n g been o r d e r e d t o l e a v e I n d i a b e f o r e h a n d by t h e N e w D e l h i government.
While t h e new N a t i o n a l Council elected by t h e Congress had a r e d u c e d r i g h t i s t m a j o r i t y - - b e c a u s e of t h e l e f t i s t s t h r e a t t o break up t h e p a r t y u n l e s s t h e i r w i s h e s were acceded t o - - t h e r i g h t i s t s s u b s e q u e n t l y used t h i s N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m a j o r i t y t o r e v e r s e l e f t i s t c o n t r o l of t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee and t h e C e n t r a l Secretariat, t h e two t o p p a r t y o r g a n s charged w i t h r u n n i n g t h e p a r t y . When Ghosh l e d a b a l a n c e d CPI d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e 22nd CPSU Congress i n O c t o b e r , however,

even moderates who were n o r m a l l y s t a u n c h CPSU s u p p o r t e r s were shaken by t h e open a t t a c k s there on t h e Albanian leaders and t h e renewed assault on S t a l i n . Ghosh i n d i c a t e d h i s r e s e r v a t i o n s about Khrushchev's c o u r s e of a c t i o n by d e c l i n i n g t o a t t a c k Albania i n h i s s p e e c h t o t h e CPSU C o n g r e s s - - l i k e a number of o t h e r n o r m a l l y pro-CPSU f o r e i g n d e l e g a t e s - - a l t h o u g h t w o months l a t e r , a g a i n l i k e t h e l e a d e r s of some o t h e r p a r t i e s , he b e l a t e d l y added- m i l d p u b l i c d i s a p p r o v a l of t h e A l b a n i a n s . Greater t u r m o i l r e s u l t e d w i t h i n t h e CPI as a consequence o f t h i s CPSU Congress t h a n had e v e r e x i s t e d b e f o r e , b o t h because of t h e new CPSU o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t Albania and t h e CCP and because of t h e a t t a c k s on S t a l i n and t h e d i s p l a c e m e n t o f S t a l i n ' s body. There w e r e widespread a t t a c k s on Moscow and Khrushchev o v e r these a c t i o n s w i t h i n a l l f a c t i o n s of t h e CPI, and o n e prov i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n - - t h a t of Andhra Pradesh--passed a r e s o l u t i o n condemning t h e CPSU, t h e second s u c h r e s o l u t i o n t o be passed w i t h i n t h e CPI i n l i t t l e more t h a n a year. Ghosh e v e n t u a l l y p u b l i s h e d an a r t i c l e p u b l i c l y r e g r e t t i n g t h e manner i n which Moscow had a g a i n embarked on d e S t a l i n i z a t i o n , and dec l a r i n g t h a t t h e CPSU had f o r f e i t e d its claim t o i n f a l l i b i l i t y . These i n t e r n a l d i f f i c u l t i e s of t h e CPI were g r e a t l y augmented by t h e s i m u l t a n e o u s r e k i n d l i n g of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n bord e r d i s p u t e , a s t a t e m e n t by Ghosh s t r o n g l y a t t a c k i n g t h e CPR,

and a s u b s e q u e n t P e o p l e ' s D a i l y e d i t o r i a l condemning b o t h Nehru and Ghosh. A t t h e close o f l , b o t h l e f t i s t and r i g h t i s t CPI l e a d e r s were warning o f t h e l i k e l i h o o d of an open s p l i t i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y after t h e . e l e c t i o n s of F e b r u a r y 1962. While it seemed l i k e l y t h a t t h e CPSU would make e v e r y e f f o r t a g a i n t o p r e v e n t s u c h a s p l i t , Moscow's long-term chances of success in t h i s e f f o r t were d e p e n d e n t on s u c h f a c t o r s as t h e f u t u r e c o u r s e of Sino-Soviet r e l a t i o n s , t h e f o r t u n e s o f t h e "peaceful c o e x i s t e n c e " l i n e , arid'.the number of c o n c e s s i o n s Moscow was w i l l i n g t o make a g a i n t o t h e CPI l e f t i s t s . The S o v i e t problem w a s f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t e d by t h e d e a t h of Ghosh i n J a n u a r y 1962, and t h e l a c k of a s u i t a b l e s u c c e s s o r combining l o y a l t y t o t h e CPSU with a c c e p t a b i l i t y t o b o t h wings of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y .

,
I

..

- ix

I.

PROLOGUE:

CPI STRUGGLE OVER THE FOUR-CLASS 9 9 ) AzlL I ANCE (1 47- 1 51

. .
!

The g r a d u a l growth of P e i p i n g s i n f l u e n c e and p r e s t i g e w i t h i n l a r g e s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y as a g u i d e s e c o n d a r y t o t h e CPSU h a s a p p a r e n t l y been known and t o l e r a t e d by t h e S o v i e t p a r t y for t h e b e t t e r p a r t of t h e last decade. I t was t h i s long-term Chinese p r e s e n c e i n t h e C P I which i n 1959 and 1960--when P e i p i n g began o p e n l y t o c h a l l e n g e S o v i e t a u t h o r i t y w i t h i n t h e Communist movement on a world-wide scale--was t o combine w i t h t h e f a c t i o n a l i s m and a s t o n i s h i n g i n d i s c i p l i n e of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o produce a t h r e a t t o CPSU primacy which e n d u r e s t o t h i s day. Both f a c t o r s - - t h e l e g i t i m i z a t i o n of a d e g r e e of perman e n t C h i n e s e i n f l u e n c e , and t h e growth of f a c t i o n a l i s m and regional disregard for central authority t o a point seen i n h a r d l y any o t h e r Communist party--had t h e i r o r i g i n * i n t h e i n t e r n a l p a r t y s t r u g g l e between 1947 and 1951 o v e r t h e methods of s t r u g g l e t h e p a r t y s h o u l d f o l l o w , t h e immediate . goal it s h o u l d p u r s u e , and t h e classes it s h o u l d a d m i t i n t o . its a l l i a n c e . Many of t h e p o s i t i o n s espoused a t t h a t t i m e by i n d i v i d u a l CPI l e a d e r s - - n o t t o mention t h e CPSU and t h e CCP--have s i n c e been a l t e r e d o r even r e v e r s e d . B u t t h e r e - have been l a s t i n g e f f e c t s from c e r t a i n developmedts of t h a t t i m e : t h a t t h e c e n t r a l CPI a u t h o r i t y a t t e m p t e d t o a p p l y a c e r t a i n l i n e , in c o n f o r m i t y w i t h what it t h o u g h t w a s CPSU p o l i c y ; t h a t t h i s l i n e proved d i s a s t r o u s f o r t h e I n d i a n p a r t y ; t h a t o t h e r leaders o p e n l y proposed a n o t h e r l i n e , which t h e y s p e c i f i c a l l y acknowledged t o have been d e r i v e d from C h i n e s e t e a c h i n g s r a t h e r t h a n from Moscow; t h a t t h e c e n t r a l l e a d e r s h i p reacted w i t h v i o l e n t d e n u n c i a t i o n s of h e r e s y , w i t h s u p p r e s s i o n , e x p u l s i o n s , and s i m i l a r methods

. . .

*This is not t o s a y t h a t f a c t i o n a l s t r i f e and r e s p e c t f o r t h e Chinese p a r t y had n o t e x i s t e d i n t h e C P I b e f o r e t h i s p e r i o d , b u t o n l y t h a t a n enormous q u a l i t a t i v e change o c c u r e d on b o t h c o u n t s a f t e r t h i s t i m e , which I n d i a n Communists have t h e m s e l v e s remarked on.

- 1 -

..

. .

t o e n f o r c e i t s l i n e on t h e p a r t y ; t h a t t h e c e n t r a l l e a d e r s h i p a l s o p u b l i s h e d a direct attack on t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y as t h e s o u r c e of t h i s Indian h e r e s y ; t h a t rebel CPI leaders i n the c e n t e r and i n o n e i m p o r t a n t p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n n e v e r t h e less c o n t i n u e d t o d e f y t h e l e a d e r s h i p ; t h a t Moscow e v e n t u a l l y a c c e p t e d c e r t a i n e l e m e n t s of t h e P e i p i n g l i n e and forced them upon t h e I n d i a n p a r t y ; and t h a t t h e o l d CPI l e a d e r s h i p w a s removed and t e m p o r a r i l y disgraced. While t h i s w a s n o t t h e ent i r e s t o r y (Moscow first and t h e CPI l a t e r c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e "Chinese p a t h " was n o t e n t i r e l y a p p l i c a b l e t o I n d i a , and t h e discredited CPI l e a d e r s were e v e n t u a l l y r e a d m i t t e d t o a cent r a l l e a d e r s h i p c o a l i t i o n of a l l f a c t i o n s ) , n e v e r t h e l e s s t w o e f f e c t s have p e r s e v e r e d : on t h e one hand, c o n s i d e r a b l e r e s p e c t f o r t h e w i s d o m and a u t h o r i t y of t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y were imp l a n t e d p e r m a n e n t l y w i t h i n t h e CPI; and on t h e o t h e r hand, t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e c e n t r a l CPI machinery w a s so weakened i n rel a t i o n t o t h e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y organizations t h a t never again h a s t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y leadership made a s e r i o u s a t t e m p t t o enforce a u n i f o r m , r i g i d l i n e upon t h e o f t e n d e f i a n t p r o v i n c e s .
A.

i
I

S o v i e t S h i f t t o M i l i t a n t L i n e (1947)

These e v e n t s were s e t in motion f o r t h e C P I by t h e S o v i e t d e c i s i o n i n 1947 t o d i s c a r d t h e r i g h t i s t , u n i t e d f r o n t - f r o m above l i n e e n j o i n i n g s u p p o r t f o r b o u r g e o i s governments which t h e CPSU had r e q u i r e d of t h e world Communist movement a f t e r t h e USSR's e n t r y i n t o World War 11. The CPSU now ordered a g e n e r a l s h i f t t o a m i l i t a n t s t r a t e g y of v i o l e n t o p p o s i t i o n t o b o u r g e o i s governments, g e n e r a l s t r i k e s , d e m o n s t r a t ions, armed r e s i s t a n c e , and, i n c o l o n i a l areas, "wars of l i b e r a t i o n . " The f i r s t ' a u t h o r i t a t i v e s i g n a l f o r t h i s s h i f t was g i v e n i n Zhdanov's report t o t h e f o u n d i n g m e e t i n g of t h e Cominform i n September 1947; b u t b e c a u s e Zhdanov d e a l t e x p l i c i t l y o n l y w i t h Europe, nowhere i n t h i s r e p o r t d i d he i n d i c a t e c l e a r l y whether o r n o t t h e a l l i a n c e which was t o c a r r y o u t t h e armed s t r u g g l e i n c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s a g a i n s t imperfaliSt r u l e r s could i n c l u d e s e c t i o n s of t h e n a t i v e b o u r g e o i s i e which might b e a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t ( t h e " n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e " ) or sect ions of t h e n a t i v e p e a s a n t r y which were n o t impoverished b u t which might be a n t i f e u d a l ( t h e "middle" and " r i c h " p e a s a n t r y ) . T h a t S t a l i n i n 1947 had not made up h i s mind on t h i s q u e s t i o n w a s i n d i c a t e d by t h e c o n f l i c t i n g i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s p r o v i d e d by a u t h o r i t a t i v e S o v i e t speakers a t t h e p r o c e e d i n g s of a m e e t i n g of t h e S o v i e t
- 2 -

'.

.I

m C

L
*
4

Academy of S c i e n c e s on I n d i a i n June 1947 which a n t i c i p a t e d t h e S o v i e t s w i t c h t o t h e m i l i t a n t l i n e , and i n articles by t h e same e x p e r t s i n December a m p l i f y i n g Zhdanov e s t h e s i s . The Chinese Communist P a r t y , on t h e o t h e r hand, a d o p t e d
a clear p o s i t i o n on t h e s e ambiguous S o v i e t s t a t e m e n t s . On 25 December 1947 Mao Tse-tung d e l i v e r e d a r e p o r t t o t h e CCP
I )

c e n t r a l committee s e t t i n g f o r t h a l i n e which was p r i n c i p a l l y i n t e n d e d f o r t h e Contemporary Chinese s c e n e b u t which w a s a l s o i m p l i e d t o be v a l i d f o r o t h e r AzSrfan p a r t i e s . ldao condemned " u l t r a - l e f t " p o l i c i e s toward t h e p e t t y and "middle" b o u r g e o i s i e , e x p l i c i t l y set f o r t h t h e immediate aims of h i s "New Democratic" r e v o l u t i o n as t h e e l i m i n a t i o n of f e u d a l i s m and monopoly c a p i t a l i s m r a t h e r t h a n c a p i t a l i s m in g e n e r a l , and t h e n added a c a l l f o r " a l l a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t f o r c e s " of t h e v a r i o u s E a s t e r n c o u n t r i e s t o u n i t e t o oppose i m p e r i a l i s m and t h e r e a c t i o n a r i e s as h e had d e f i n e d them--by I m p l i c a t i o n , t h e r e f o r e , t o a i m a t a two-stage r e v o l u t i o n (first a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t and democratic, and o n l y l a t e r s o c i a l i s t ) , and t o u s e a four-class a l l i a n c e ( p r o l e t a r i a t , peasantry, p e t t y bourgeoisie, and n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e ) a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and t h e proi m p e r i a l i s t s e c t i o n s of t h e b o u r g e o i s i e .

however, t h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r , i n a p a s s a g e i n L i u S h a o - c h i ' s a r t i c l e " N a t i o n a l i s m and I n t e r n a t i o n a l i s m , " w r i t t e n i n con-

*For t h e d e t a i l s of t h e s e a r t i c l e s , see t h e d i s c u s s i o n s . b y Kautsky (Moscow and t h e Communist P a r t y of I n d i a , N e w York, 1956) and O v e r s t r e e t and Windmiller (Communism i n I n d i a , Berkeley, 1959).

, - 3 -

t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e which is st ill o p p o s i n g i m p e r i a l i s m . He added t h a t ''should t h e Communists f a i l t o do so i n e a r n e s t ,

s h o u l d t h e y on t h e c o n t r a r y oppose o r reject s u c h an a l l i a n c e " , Although t h i s a r t i c l e w a s w r i t t e n in November 1948, it was n o t p u b l i s h e d i n S o v i e t media u n t i l t h e f o l l o w i n g J u n e , when t h e CPSU showed m a n y - s i g n s of h a v i n g f i n a l l y accepted t h e l i n e of a n a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l In t h e meant ime , t h r o u g h o u t 1948 a u t h o r it a t i v e bourgeoisie S o v i e t writers had c o n t i n u e d t o take a m b i v a l e n t o r c o n t r a d i c t o r y p o s i t i o n s on t h i s issue, and it seems l i k e l y t h a t t h i s CPSU i n d e c i s i o n w a s o n e of t h e r e a s o n s for Moscow's l o n g d e l a y in p u b l i s h i n g LiuOs a r t i c l e o *
t h i s would be a " s e r i o u s m i s t a k e , "

B.

Ranadive R i s e t o Power i n CPI

Meanwhile, even as L a spoke i n December 1947 a s h i f t do w a s o c c u r i n g w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y which w a s b r i n g i n g i n t o c o n t r o l a f a c t i o n which i n t e r p r e t e d Zhdanov9s September d i r e c t i v e s i m p l i s t i c a l l y , n o t o n l y assuming it t o be a c a l l f o r armed s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e Nehru government b u t also seeing it as a demand f o r a l i m i t e d worker-peasant a l l i a n c e a g a i n s t a l l s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e t o b r i n g a b o u t a onestage r e v o l u t i o n o v e r t h r o w i n g capitalism and u s h e r i n g in socialism. T h i s s h d f t t o o k p l a c e a t a December 1947 C P I c e n t r a l committee m e e t i n g i n which t h e b a l a n c e of power w i t h i n t h e p a r t y swung away f r o m P o C. J o s h & - t h e o l d CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y who had l e d t h e p a r t y s i n c e t h e middle t h i r t i e s , and who had a d v o c a t e d s u p p o r t f o r t h e new Nehru government--toward B o I". Ranadive, who h a s s i n c e t o t h i s day remained a t l e a s t t h e t i t u l a r l e a d e r of t h e C I l e f t i s t f a c t i o n . The c e n t r a l commitP tee adopted a r e s o l u t i o n making no d i s t i n c t i o n between s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e , and lumping a l l of t h e b o u r g e o i s i e w i t h i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l i s m as t h e enemy to be f o u g h t now. T h i s l i n e was c o n f i r m e d and developed three months l a t e r a t t h e Second Congress of t h e C P I i n F e b r u a r y 1948, when Ranadive

*Another r e a s o n , presumably, vas L i u ' s i n s u f f i c i e n t l y harsh a t t i t u d e toward T i t o ,

- 4 -

f o r m a l l y r e p l a c e d J o s h i as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y . The P o l i t i c a l T h e s i s a d o p t e d by t h i s c o n g r e s s i d e n t i f i e d t h e e n t i r e world b o u r g e o i s i e w i t h t h e i m p e r i a l i s t camp as t h e common enemy i n e v e r y counkry; e x p l i c i t l y rejected t h e n o t i o n of s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s among t h e b o u r g e o i s i e ; c a l l e d f o r a u n i t e d f r o n t from below ( t o e n t i c e away t h e p r o l e t a r i a n f o l l o w i n g of t h e Congress p a r t y ) r a t h e r t h a n a u n i t e d f r o n t f r o m above (which would have meant t h e J o s h i l i n e of a l l i a n c e s w i t h and s u p p o r t for Congress p a r t y l e a d e r s ) ; h e l d ' t h a t - a r e v o l u t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n now e x i s t e d i n I n d i a , and c a l l e d f o r a v i o l e n t e f f o r t t o b r i n g a b o u t a o n e - s t a g e r e v o l u t i o n . T h i s p a r t y c o n g r e s s was h e l d i n C a l c u t t a i m m e d i a t e l - upon t h e c o n c l u s i o n of an i n t e r y n a t i o n a l y o u t h c o n g r e s s t h e r e s p o n s o r e d j o i n t l y by t h e World F e d e r a t i o n of Democratic Youth and t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Unibn of S t u d e n t s which is b e l i e v e d t o have g i v e n t h e s i g n a l f o r t h e armed Communist u p r i s i n g s which soon a f t e r w a r d began i n a number of o t h e r Asian c o u n t r i e s . F o l l o w i n g t h e Second Congress, Ranadive proceeded t o a p p l y i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y t a c t i c s a g a i n s t t h e Nehru government; i n s o , ' d o i n g he s o u g h t t o a d h e r e t o t h e model of t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n and t o r e l y p r i m a r i l y upon s t r u g g l e i n t h e c i t i e s r a t h e r t h a n i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . There were a t t e m p t s a t m a s s i v e p a r a l y z i n g s t r i k e s , v i o l e n t demonstrat i o n s , a c i d - t h r o w i n g s , and s o on, and many p a r t y l e a d e r s went underground. The Nehru government r e s p o n d e d w i t h a v i g o r o u s crackdown a g a i n s t t h e p a r t y which e f f e c t i v e l y a n t i c i p a t e d and c o u n t e r e d t h e s e measu r e s and p l a c e d much of t h e p a r t y ' s t o p l e a d e r s h i p i n p r i s o n . Meanwhile, t h e CPI's v i o l e n t t a c t i c s s t e a d i l y r e d u c e d t h e numr ber of e f f e c t i v e p a r t y members, decimated t h e f r o n t s , and I r a p i d l y e l i m i n a t e d t h e p a r t y ' s i n f l u e n c e o v e r t h e masses; c a l l s f o r s t r i k e s were heeded less and l e s s , and e v e n t u a l l y , as Ranad i v e ' s o p p o n e n t s l a t e r c h a r g e d , t h e p a r t y was r e d u c e d t o spons o r i n g a c t s of " i n d i v i d u a l t e r r o r i s m " by t i n y g r o u p s of d i e hard m i l i t a n t s . Andhra C i t a t i o n of M o as G u i d e : While t h i s was g o i n g a o n , Communist leaders i n t h e Tel-na d i s t r i c t of t h e southern I n d i a n p r i n c e l y s t a t e of Hyderabad (which had n o t y e t been i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o I n d i a ) had for three y e a r s been l e a d i n g a r e l a t i v e l y s u c c e s s f u l r e v o l t among t h e l o c a l p e a s a n t r y by r e l y i n g upon a r a d i c a l program of l a n d r e f o r m . The c o n t r a s t between t h e success of t h i s e f f o r t and t h e f a i l u r e of R a n a d i v e ' s tact i c s encouraged t h e Andhra p r o v i n c i a l committee--to which t h e

. .

- 5 -

Telengana p a r t y leaders were s u b o r d i n a t e d - - t o c i r c u l a t e withi n t h e p a r t y i n June 1948 a document c h a l l e n g i n g RanadiveOs l i n e and c a l l i n g f o r a l i n e combining a g r a r i a n r e v o l t w i t h Communist a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e and a l l s t r a t a of t h e p e a s a n t r y . The Andhra l e a d e r s e x p l i c i t l y acknowledged t h a t t h e y were i n s p i r e d t o a d o p t t h i s l i n e b y t h e e x p e r i e n c e of t h e C h i n e s e r e v o l u t i o n , and not by what t h e y termed "classical R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n . '' They d e c l a r e d t h a t Wao, t h e l e a d e r of t h e h i s t o r i c Chinese l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e , from h i s u n i q u e and r i c h e x p e r i e n c e and s t u d y , h a s f o r m u l a t e d a t h e o r y of new democracy" which was a "new form of r e v o l u t i o n a r y s t r u g g l e t o advance toward socialism i n c o l o n i e s and semi-colonies" and which w a s something " d i s t i n c t from t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p of t h e p r o l e t a r i a t . " An e s s e n t i a l a s p e c t of t h i s Maoist l i n e which t h e I n d i a n p a r t y s h o u l d copy, t h e y f e l t , w a s t h e l i m i t a t i o n of t h e s t r u g g l e i n t h e p r e s e n t stage t o one a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l i s m , and t h e c o n s e q u e n t format i o n of a b r o a d a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t "middle b o u r g e o i s i e " of t h e c i t i e s , as w e l l as t h e "middle p e a s a n t r y " and (if p o s s i b l e ) even t h e " r i c h p e a s a n t r y " of t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . The Andhra p a r t y committee c i t e d as t h e j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h i s l i n e a s t a t e m e n t by Mao on 24 A p r i l 1945 t o t h e 7 t h CCP Congress, i n which Mao complained t h a t "some p e o p l e c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d why t h e Communist P a r t y of China, far from b e i n g u n s y m p a t h e t i c So c a p i t a l i s m , a c t u a l l y promotes its development," and e x p l a i n e d t h a t "what China does n o t want is f o r e i g n i m p e r i a l i s m and n a t i v e f e u d a l i s m and not n a t i v e c a p i t z i l i s m which is too w e a k . ' ' Ranadive A t t a c k o n Mao: While n e i t h e r M o nor t h e Andhra a Communists had i n mind e i t h e r t h e i n d e f i n i t e r e t e n t i o n sf c a p i t a l i s m or t h e a b d i c a t i o n of Communist l e a d e r s h i p , and w h i l e t h e r e is no good e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e Andhra p a r t y i n h a i l i n g M o a as a model c o n s c i o u s l y i n t e n d e d to r e j e c t CPSU a u t h o r i t y , Ranadive f o r p o l e m i c a l p u r p o s e s chose t o p r o f e s s t h e s e conclusions i n t h e c o u n t e r o f f e n s i v e he made t o t h e Andhra document. I n h i s f i r s t r e s p o n s e , i n t h e CPI j o u r n a l C o m u n i s t of J a n u a r y 1 9 4 9 , Ranadive c o n t e n t e d h i m s e l f w i t h d e f e n d i n g h i s l i n e of a s i n g l e r e v o l u t i o n l e a d i n g d i r e c t l y t o socialism, l e d by t h e p r o l e t a r i a t i n f i r m a l l i n a c e o n l y w i t h t h e poor p e a s a n t r y and t h e r u r a l p r o l e t a r i a t , and w i t h s u g g e s t i n g t h a t t h e b a t t l e a g a i n s t t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e w a s even more i m p o r t a n t t h a n t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t f o r e i g n i m p e r i a l i s m . I n J u l y 1949, howe v e r , h e wrote a n a r t i c l e i n t h e same j o u r n a l which d i r e c t l y assailed n o t o n l y t h e Andhra document b u t i t s ideological

r .

. .. .

. .:..

.. . . ,

..

- 6 -

'L
i n s p i r a t i o n , M o Tse-tung. a I n t h i s a r t i c l e Ranadive emphasized t h a t t h e CPI a c c e p t e d only Marx, E n g e l s , L e n i n , and S t a l i n as a u t h o r i t a t i v e sources of Marxism, and n o t Mao, whom h e i m p l i c i t l y compared w i t h T i t o and Browder. He delcared t h a t "some of Mao's f o r m u l a t i o n s are s u c h t h a t no Communist p a r t y c a n acc e p t them; t h e y are i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n t o t h e wcmld u n d e r s t a n d C i t i n g t h e 1945 M o q u o t a t i o n a i n g of t h e Communist p a r t i e s . " from t h e Andhra document, h e termed t h e f o r m u l a t i o n aboht t h e CCP promoting t h e development of c a p i t a l i s m " h o r r i f y i n g , '' " r e a c t i o n a r y , ' I and " c o u n t e r r e v o l u t i o n a r y ,I' and i n h y p o c r i t i c a l f a s h i o n i n t e r p r e t e d Mao l i t e r a l l y , a s k i n g : "Are we t o unders t a n d t h a t w h i l e Communists i n Europe, t h e USSR, and I n d i a f i g h t world c a p i t a l i s m , t h e CCP p r o p o s e s t o r e b u i l d it i n Ch i n a?" J o s h i s u b s e q u e n t l y c l a i m e d t h a t e i g h t e e n months before Ranadive e x p r e s s e d t h e s e views p u b l i c l y he had d i s s e m i n a t e d them i n p r i v a t e o r a l d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h i n t h e C P I on t h e e v e of t h e F e b r u a r y 1948 CPI Congress. Ranadive a t t h a t t i m e had r e p o r t e d l y d e c l a r e d t h a t Mao's "New Democracy" w a s r e e k i n g w i t h reformism and t h a t t h e C h i n e s e r e v o l u t i o n would n o t be c o n s o l i d a t e d and d i r e c t e d towards s o c i a l i s m u n t i l i t s leaders h i p r e v i s e d its views or was made t o r e v i s e them. Ranadive w a s a l s o s a i d t o have p r e d i c t e d t h a t a "whole pack of reformists" who had g o t c o n t r o l of c e r t a i n o t h e r h m m u n i s t p a r t i e s a f t e r t h e wartime d i s s o l u t i o n of t h e Cominform would s o o n be o u s t e d . I n a F e b r u a r y 1949 a r t i c l e i n Communist, Ranadive indeed made p u b l i c s i m i l a r vague c h a r g e s of r e v i s i o n i s m a g a i n s t t h e l e a d e r s h i p s of u n s p e c i f i e d European Communist parties
I

I
1

F o r Ranadive t o p a s s from t h e s e p r i v a t e c h a r g e s of vague p u b l i c a l l u s i o n s t o h i s d i r e c t p u b l i c a t t a c k on Mao i n J u l y 1949, however, w a s a r e m a r k a b l e a c t , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n view of t h e f a c t t h a t t h e CCP a t t h a t moment was i n t h e p r o c e s s of c o n s o l i d a t i n g its c o n q u e s t of mainland China, w h i l e t h e C P I

- 7 -

hs p i t e R a n a d i v e ' s undoubted p e r s o n a l f a n a t i c i s m and i r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , it seems l i k e l y t h a t he m u s t have had what h e cons i d e r e d good e v i d e n c e ,of s t r o n g f r i c t i o n between S t a l i n and t h e CCP $0 j u s t i f y h i s action.*

was a t i n y and h o p e l e s s l y d e f e a t e d remnant of a p a r t y .

Ij
i
~

T h e r e a r e t w o known i t e m s of e v i d e n c e d a t i n g from l a t e 1948 and e a r l y 1949 which do s u g g e s t t h a t a t t h e v e r y t i m e when t h e CCP was coming t o power i n China, S t a l i n w a s e x p e r i encing p a r t i c u l a r d i f f i c u l t y i n a d j u s t i n g himself t o t h e h e i g h t e n e d s t a t u s of M o and t h e Chinese p a r t y w i t h i n t h e ina t e r n a t i o n a l movement which was t h e i n e v i t a b l e consequence of t h i s e v e n t . F i r s t , t h e Britcish Communist Palme D u t t , i n a r e p o r t t o a Conference on t h e C r i s i s of B r i t i s h I m p e r i a l i s m on 2 October 1948, l i s t e d f i v e new f e a t u r e s of t h e post-World War I1 " n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n movement". According t o t h e v e r s i o n of D u t t ' s r e p o r t p u b l i s h e d i n B r i t a i n , t h e second of these p o i n t s declared: "The advance of democratic China r e p r e s e n t s a p o w e r f u l force i n t h e world s i t u a t i o n which exercises a profound i n f l u e n c e on t h e development of t h e l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e a t h e c o l o n i a l p e o p l e s t h r o u g h o u t Asia." The E v e r s i o n p u b l i s h e d i n t h e Corninform j o u r n a l on 15 October, howe v e r , l i s t e d o n l y f o u r f e a t u r e s ; t h e p o i n t about China was omitted. Anna L o u i s e S t r o n g Book: A more dramatic p i e c e o f e v i dence--and a r e a s o n why t h e CPSU a t t h i s t i m e may have been u n w i l l i n g t o p u b l i s h t h e s e e m i n g l y innocuous s t a t e m e n t above, which i n s u b s e q u e n t y e a r s h a s been repeated many t i m e s by Moscow--was p r o v i d e d by t h e case of Anna L o u i s e S t r o n g and h e r book, "TomorrowCs China." This book, based on a yearOs

I i
I

..

. ..
.,

I
I

i I

* f i t h ough it is b a r e l y p o s s i b l e t h a t Ranadive was g i v e n d i r e c t i n s t r u c t i o n s by t h e CPSU t o attack Mao, this,seems unl i k e l y , i f o n l y because--as w i l l be seen--by t h e t i m e Ranad i v e wrote i n J u l y 1949 t h e CPSU had a l r e a d y a c c e p t e d t h e p a r t i c u l a r Maoist d o c t r i n e which was t h e c e n t r a l object of R a n a d i v e ' s a s s a u l t , It appears more l i k e l y t h a t Ranadive used e a r l i e r broad i n d i c a t i o n s of Sino-Soviet d i f f i c u l t i e s as j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r a t t a c k on t h e a u t h o r i t y c i t e d by h i s i n t e r n a l p a r t y opponents.

!
I
!

- 8 -

!
~

s t a y i n China f r o m J u l y 1946 t o J u l y 1947 and on r e p e a t e d c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h e t o p CCP leaders, was p u b l i s h e d by t h e Communist p r e s s of many c o u n t r i e s l a t e i n 1948 and e a r l y i n 1949. In I n d i a , it was p u b l i s h e d by t h e CPI's P e o p l e ' s Publ i s h i n g House of Bombay i n t h e f a l l of 1 9 4 8 u n d e r t h e t i t l e llIhawn O u t o f China." In t h i s work M i s s S t r o n g p a i d r e p e a t e d t r i b u t e t o t h e e x p e r i e n c e and a u t h o r i t y of t h e C h i n e s e Comm u n i s t p a r t y and Yao and t h e p a r t i c u l a r and u n i q u e relevance of Mao's t e a c h i n g s t o t h e r e v o l u t i o n s of Asia. She even went so far as t o s t a t e e x p l i c i t l y t h a t "it is to M o Tse-tung and a t o Communist China much more t h a n t o p r e s e n t - d a y Moscow t h a t t h e n a t i o n a l i s t r e v o l u t i o n s of I n d o n e s i a , Indo-China, Burma, look f o r t h e i r l a t e s t , most p r a c t i c a l ideas," and t h a t Maovs s t r a t e g y was made t o f i t s u c h p e o p l e s b e c a u s e C h i n a ' s problems are s i m i l a r t o t h e i r s . Mao's a n a l y s i s of C h i n a ' s r e v o l u t i o n , s h e s a i d , "is s t u d i e d e a g e r l y in t h e c o l o n i a l l a n d s of Southeast Asia;" and s h e t h o u g h t t h a t W a r x i s t s a l l o v e r t h e world a g r e e t h a t i n o r d e r t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e modern problems of Asia, it is n e c e s s a r y t o s t u d y Mae's t h o u g h t , " s i n c e Mao w a s t h e " f i r s t Marxist i n Asia" t o s u c c e e d i n a p p l y i n g Marxist p r i n c i p l e s t o new c o n d i t i o n s and i n g i v i n g t h o s e p r i n c i p l e s a new development. One a s p e c t of t h e Maoist t e a c h i n g s t h u s l a u d e d by t h i s book is t h e "New Democracy" l i n e c a l l i n g f o r an a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e m i d d l e b o u r g e o i s i e and p r e s e r v a t i o n of some n a t i v e c a p i t a l i s m f o r t h e s a k e of t h e common s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and its a d h e r e n t s . In a l a t e r p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n , Anna L o u i s e S t r o n g s t a t e d t h a t i n h e r l a s t i n t e r v i e w w i t h Mao i n 1947, s h e d e c l a r e d h e r i n t e n t i o n t o b r i n g t h i s Maoist l i n e f o r t h e a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t s t r u g g l e t o t h e a t t e n t i o n of o t h e r Asian Communist p a r t i e s ; t h e r e u p o n , a c c o r d i n g t o h e r a c c o u n t , Mao i n t e r r u p t e d h e r t o u r g e t h a t s h e b r i n g it to t h e a t t e n t i o n of t h e R u s s i a n s as w e l l . I n f a c t , a f t e r h e r book had a l r e a d y been p u b l i s h e d by a number of Communist p a r t i e s , s h e d i d v i s i t t h e S o v i e t Union i n a n e f f o r t to g e t t h e work p u b l i s h e d t h e r e , and a p p e a r s t o have been n a i v e l y s u r p r i s e d a t t h e i n s i s t e n c e o f t h e Moscow p u b l i s h i n g house t h a t d r a s t i c changes be made i n t h e t e x t . F i n a l l y , she w a s arrested i n Moscow i n F e b r u a r y i n 1949, charged w i t h e s p i o n a g e , and s u b s e q u e n t l y e x p e l l e d from t h e c o u n t r y . H e r old f r i e n d Borodin, who had a t t e m p t e d t o h e l p h e r i n d e a l i n g w i t h t h e Moscow p u b l i s h e r s , was a l s o a r r e s t e d and l a t e r d i e d i n p r i s o n .

. .. . .
I

- 9 -

The fact of Anna L o u i s e S t r o n g ' s a r r e s t by t h e S o v i e t a u t h o r i t i e s a f e w months a f t e r t h e appearance of her book h a i l i n g M o was l i k e l y t o have been s e i z e d on by Ranadive as a e v i d e n c e . of S t a l i n ' s a t t i t u d e toward b o t h Mao's p r e t e n s i o n s and Maoist p o l i c y . Thus encouraged, Ranadive and h i s l i e u t e n a n t s i n t h e p a r t y c e n t e r persisted i n l e a d i n g t h e p a r t y on in its v i o l e n t c o u r s e d e s p i t e t h e d i s a s t r o u s effects t h i s w a s having, and d e s p i t e t h e growing o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e Ranadive l i n e n o t o n l y f r o m t h e Andhra committee b u t also from t h e p a r t y t r a d e union leaders l e d by S. A. Dange. Too d e e p l y comm i t t e d t o h i s l i n e t o draw back, Ranadive a t t e m p t e d t o a p p l y S t a l i n i s t methods of s u p p r e s s i o n w i t h i n t h e CPI, a r b i t r a r i l y d i s s o l v i n g r e b e l l i o u s local p a r t y committees and e x p e l l i n g d i s s i d e n t s on a wide scale, and t h e r e b y compounding t h e chaos throughout t h e p a r t y .

!
. ' : . .

I
!

C.

CPSU S h i f t Toward Broad A l l i a n c e 5 Away from Armed S t r u g g l e

One of R a n a d i v e ' s o p p o n e n t s who was first suspended from t h e p a r t y and t h e n , i n December 1949, e x p e l l e d , w a s t h e former CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y P. C. J o s h i . J o s h i responded pugnaciousl y t o h i s e x p l u s i o n by l a u n c h i n g a one-man campaign a g a i n s t Ranadive, s e n d i n g a l o n g l e t t e r t o S t a l i n and to o t h e r f o r e i g n p a r t i e s documenting Ranadive ' s d e p a r t u r e from S o v i e t i n t e n t i o n s , and p u b l i s h i n g t h e s e and other documents i n a j o u r n a l founded s p e c i a l l y for t h e p u r p o s e , J o s h i was aided i n t h i s e f f o r t by t h e f a c t t h a t CPSU p o l i c y d o u b t s had a p p a r e n t l y been r e s o l v e d by mid-summer 1949 In f a v o r of t h e l i n e of t h e f o u r - c l a s s a l l i a n c e and t h e two-stage r e v o l u t i o n . In e a r l y J u n e P r a v d a iin a l l y p u b l i s h e d t h e text of L i u Shao-chi's " I n t e r n a t i o n a l i s m and N a t i o n a l i s m " ; t h i s f a c t was c i t e d by J o s h i * a s h a v i n g been

J o s h i ' s w r i t i n g s i n t h i s p e r i o d were r e p l e t e w i t h polemical d e f e n s e s of t h e C h i n e s e l e a d e r s a g a i n s t Ranadive ' s attacks ; and J o s h i i n s u b s e q u e n t y e a r s became known as t h e CPI leader m o s t closely i d e n t i f i e d w i t h P e i p i n g . J o s h i ' s a d h e r e n c e t o t h e a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e Indian n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , however, o u t l i v e d t h e e v e n t u a l p a s s i n g of P e i p i n g ' s f o n d n e s s f o r t h i s l i n e ; and J o s h i w a s f i n a l l y forced, most r e l u c t a n t l y , t o support t h e CPSU a g a i n s t t h e CCP when t h e Sino-Soviet c o n f l i c t s u r f a c e d in 1960,

10

.. .
. I .

.
I

.
'

i g n o r e d by Ranadive when p u b l i s h i n g h i s a t t a c k on Mao. Also i n June 1949, r e p o r t s d e l i v e r e d a t an i m p o r t a n t meeting h e l d by t h e USSR Academy of S c i e n c e s upheld b o t h armed p e a s a n t s t r u g g l e s and t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n of t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e i n t h e a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t a l l i a n c e i n c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s ; and t h e same l i n e w a s t a k e n i n a c o l l e c t i o n of p a p e r s p u b l i s h e d by t h e S o v i e t P a c i f i c ' I n s t i t u t e l a t e r i n 1949. S o v i e t S u b o r d i n a t i o n of Chinese E x p e r i e n c e : I n a d d i t i o n , one of t h e l a t t e r p a p e r s p u b l i s h e d by t h e P a c i f i c I n s t i t u t e now d e s c r i b e d t h e C h i n e s e r e v o l u t i o n as h a v i n g p r o f i t e d " f r o m t h e tremendous e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e CPSU", as h a v i n g " c r e a t i v e l y a p p l i e d t h e t e a c h i n g s of L e n i n and S t a l i n " under c o n d i t i o n s of a s e m i - c o l o n i a l c o u n t r y , and as c o n s t i t u t i n g f o r t h i s reason Ita v a s t t r e a s u r y of r e v o l u t i o n a r y e x p e r i e n c e itself" f o r c o l o n i a l p e o p l e s of t h e E a s t t o draw upon. This a t t e m p t t o s u b o r d i n a t e t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f Mao's t h i n k i n g w a s reiterated i n a S o v i e t message on t h e f o u n d i n g of t h e CPR p u b l i s h e d in P r a v d a on 6 October 1949, i n which t h e CCP was d e p i c t e d as having won its v i c t o r y by " b a s i n g i t s e l f " on S t a l i n ' s " a n a l y s i s of t h e . . . c o n d i t i o n s f o r a v i c t o r y of an a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t and anti-feudal revolution." I t t h u s seems t h a t t h e CPSU, f i n a l l y convlnced of t h e e x p e d i e n c y of Mae's f o u r - c l a s s s t r a t e g y f o r t h e r e v o l u t i o n s of Asian p a r t i e s - - a n d also c o n f r o n t e d by Mao's v i c t o r y w i t h t h e n e c e s s i t y of d e f i n i n g t h e CCP's r e l a t i o n t o t h o s e r e v o l u t i m s - - a t t e m p t e d t o r e s o l v e b o t h problems by a d o p t i n g t h i s Maoist l i n e and d e p i c t i n g i t , and a l l Chinese e x p e r i e n c e , as d e r i v e d from S t a l i n i s t t e a c h i n g s . The CCP seems n e v e r t o have a c c e p t e d t h i s d i s t i n c t l y suba o r d i n a t e n i c h e f o r Mao, a l t h o u g h M 0 i n March and J u l y 1949 d i d perform t h e r i t u a l o f acknowledging Chinese successes t o have been made p o s s i b l e by t h e S o v i e t v i c t o r i e s i n World War 11. A t t h e November 1949 WFTU P e i p i n g Conference o f Asian and A u s t r a l a s i a n C o u n t r i e s which f o r m a l l y r a t i f i e d t h e Maoist s t r a t e g y a s s u i t a b l e f o r t h e Asian p a r t i e s , L i u Shao-chi dec l a r e d , w i t h o u t any o b e i s a n c e t o S o v i e t e x p e r i e n c e o r t e a c h i n g s , t h a t " t h e p a t h t a k e n by t h e Chinese p e o p l e is t h e p a t h t h a t s h o u l d be t a k e n by t h e p e o p l e s of t h e v a r i o u s B C N A Engl i s h 7 c o l o n i a l and s e m i - c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s i n t h e i r - f i g h t f o r n a t x o n a l independence and p e o p l e ' s democracy. 'I* (Emphasis supplied )

. .
,.
I
I

...

*NCNA E n g l i s h v e r s i o n of 23 November 1949. The S o v i e t Union w a s mentioned o n l y i n p a s s i n g i n t h i s s p e e c h ; and L i u a l l u d e d t o t h e European s a t e l l i t e s as I f t h e new democracies." - 11 -

The Q u e s t i o n of t h e S u i t a b i l i t y of Armed S t r u g g l e : T h i s "Chinese p a t h " was d e f i n e d by L i u as a broad u n i t e d f r o n t , i n c l u d i n g t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e and t h e p e t t y b o u r g e o i s i e b u t based on t h e worker-peasant alliance and r e s o l u t e l y deminated by t h e Communist p a r t y - - p l u s a n a t i o n a l army l e d by t h e p a r t y waging armed s t r u g g l e s from bases i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e w h i l e conducting"legal and i l l e g a l mass s t r u g g l e s " i n t h e c i t i e s . * (Emphasis s u p p l i e d ) Although L i U d i n s e r t c e r t a i n q u a l i f ic a t i o n s - - d e c l a r i n g t h a t t h i s "way of llao Tse-tungfl s h o u l d be followed in other c o u n t r i e s "where s i m i l a r c o n d i t i o n s p r e v a i l , I' t h a t an army s h o u l d be set up "wherever and whenever p o s s i b l e , " and t h a t armed s t r u g g l e is t h e main form of s t r u g g l e of "many" c o l o n i e s and semi-colonies--the main t h r u s t of h i s argument w a s i n t h e opposite d i r e c t i o n , i m p l y i n g t h a t t h e Chinese f e l t t h a t armed s t r u g g l e on t h e i r model w a s indeed well-nigh u n i v e r s a l l y s u i t a b l e i n Asia. The CPSU h a s s i n c e i n t i m a t e d t h a t a t t h e t i m e it was n o t in complete agreement w i t h t h e CCP on t h i s p o i n t , implying t h a t t h e S o v i e t p a r t y , w h i l e f i n a l l y a c c e p t i n g Mao's d o c t r i n e of a f o u r - c l a s s a l l i a n c e in c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s , may also have been j u s t b e g i n n i n g t o c o n s i d e r abandoning armed s t r u g g l e s i n c e r t a i n c o u n t r i e s where t h e y had proven i n e x p e d i e n t , and t h a t t h e CPSU may' therefore have been r e l u c t a n t t o commit a l l t h e Asian WFTU o r g a n i z a t i o n s t o a l i n e s u g g e s t i n g t h a t v i o l e n t t a c t i c s were s t i l l g e n e r a l l y s u i t a b l e . While there is no c o n c l u s i v e e v i d e n c e , c e r t a i n of L i u ' s s t a t e m e n t s have ,a h i g h l y p o l e m i c a l f l a v o r which l e n d s some c r e d e n c e t o t h i s . He s a i d

* L i Li-san, a former CCP leader who i n 1930 had been i n strumental i n applying S t a l i n ' s disastrous advice t o the C h i n e s e p a r t y to c o n c e n t r a t e on armed s t r u g g l e s i n t h e c i t i e s r a t h e r t h a n i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e , was a l s o b r o u g h t o u t a t t h i s WF'TU m e e t i n g t o t e s t i f y t o t h e " h i s t o r i c a l l e s s o n " t a u g h t by h i s ' m i s t a k e and t o t h e proven c o r r e c t n e s s of Mae's l i n e of r e l y i n g on armed s t r u g g l e i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e w h i l e e s s e n t i a l l y " l y i n g low" in t h e c i t i e s . L i ' s s t a t e m e n t s were p r o b a b l y directed i n l a r g e p a r t a t Ranadive, who was now r e p e a t i n g L i ' s o l d p o l i c y ; 'they were p r o b a b l y a l s o i n t e n d e d as a reminder to t h e Asian p a r t i e s of t h e f a l l i b i l i t y of CPSU advice.

12

t h a t " i f t h e p e o p l e of t h e c o l o n i e s and s e m i - c o l o n i e s have no armed f o r c e s t o d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s , t h e y w i l l l o s e e v e r y t h i n g , " t h a t t h e e x i s t e n c e and development of t h e working c l a s s ' o r g a n i z a t i o n and t h e u n i t e d f r o n t depends on armed s t r u g g l e , and t h a t armed s t r u g g l e is t h e " i n e v i t a b l e " c o u r s e f o r c o l o n i a l p e o p l e s . He emphasized t h a t " t h e f i g h t e r s of t h e n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n wars of Vietnam, Burma, I n d o n e s i a , Malaya, and t h e i f someone had P h i l i p p i n e s have a c t e d e n t i r e l y c o r r e c t l y " * - - a s q u e s t i o n e d t h i s . He declared t h a t it is " i m p o s s i b l e " t o overthrow i m p e r i a l i s m and e s t a b l i s h a p e o p l e ' s democracy "by t a k i n g any other easier way" t h a n t h a t o f armed s t r u g g l e , and warned t h a t I f i f anybody a t t e m p t s t o d o s o , it would be a m i s take.** U l t i m a t e l y , however, t h e WFTU Conrference--presumably in d e f e r e n c e t o S o v i e t views--in one of its r e s o l u t i o n s urged t h e c o l o n i a l and s e m i - c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s t o take i n t o a c c o u n t "local c o n d i t i o n s and n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s " i n c h o o s i n g " t h e a p p r o p r i a t e methods" t o b u i l d a u n i t e d f r o n t and d e f e a t

* E a r l i e r , i n h i s s p e e c h , h e had also h a i l e d I n d i a as one of t h e c o u n t r i e s where armed s t r u g g l e s were t a k i n g p l a c e ; t h e ._ M a n i f e s t o i s s u e d by t h e P e i p i n g WFTU Conference d i d n o t do s o , s u g g e s t i n g & - a s does s u b s e q u e n t e v i d e n c e - - t h a t t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e s u i t a b i l i t y o f I n d i a f o r armed s t r u g g l e may have been one of t h e p o i n t s a t i s s u e . **Liu h e r e added u n u s u a l l y v i g o r o u s and l e n g t h y w a r n i n g s a b o u t t h e u n t r u s t w o r t h i n e s s and v a c i l l a t i o n s even of t h o s e s e c t i o n s of t h e b o u r g e o i s i e which p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e a n t i i m p e r i a l i s t a l l i a n c e ( t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e ) , and t h e i r i n c a p a c i t y t o l e a d t h e n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n movement o r accomp l i s h t h e d e m o c r a t i c r e v o l u t i o n . T h i s d a n g e r of t h e Communists l o s i n g c o n t r o l of t h e a l l i a n c e t o t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e would n a t u r a l l y come t o t h e f o r e w i t h t h e abandonment of Comm u n i s t - l e d armed s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t a c l e a r l y - d e f i n e d imperia l i s t and r e a c t i o n a r y enemy; i n s u c h cases, t h e r e would be an i n c r e a s e d p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t some Communists would c l a s s i f y n a t i v e governments s u c h as N e h r u ' s as n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s , and hence worthy of being s u p p o r t e d a g a i n s t a common i m p e r i a l i s t enemy r a t h e r t h a n f o u g h t . Something l i k e t h i s , i n f a c t , e v e n t u a l l y happened i n I n d i a i n r e s p o n s e t o changes i n S o v i e t p o l i c y which P e i p i n g a t f i r s t accepted' b u t f i n a l l y a g a i n came t o denounce.

13

t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s , s u g g e s t i n g t h a t armed s t r u g g l e was now f a r from g e n e r a l l y o b l i g a t o r y . A l l i n a l l , t h e e v i d e n c e s u g g e s t s t h a t w h i l e b o t h Moscow and P e i p i n g s t i l l e n d o r s e d armed s t r u g g l e f o r many Asian c o u n t r i e s , and b o t h a d m i t t e d t h e need f o r some p r e s e n t e x c e p t i o n s , t h e CPSU now saw t h e n e c e s s i t y f o r more e x c e p t i o n s from t h i s p o l i c y t h a n t h e CCP w a s y e t w i l l i n g t o admit. J a n u a r y Cominform E d i t o r i a l and F a l l of Ranadive: T h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n is g i v e n some s u p p o r t by an e d i t o r i a l p u b l i s h ed i n t h e Cominform j o u r n a l on 27 J a n u a r y 1950 which r e i t e r a t ed L i u ' s main p o i n t s b u t i n s u c h a f a s h i o n as t o suggest more v i g o r o u s l y t h a t t h e r e were some Asian c o u n t r i e s where armed s t r u g g l e could n o t now u s e f u l l y be employed, and t h a t I n d i a w a s one s u c h c o u n t r y . T h i s e d i t o r i a l a l s o quoted L i u ' s s t a t e ment t h a t t h e C h i n e s e p a t h s h o u l d be t a k e n by t h e p e o p l e of t h e v a r i o u s c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s , b u t changed NCNA's "The v a r i o u s " t o "many," p o s s i b l y meaning t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e CPSU s a w e x c e p t i o n s t o t h e a p p l i c a b i l i t y of armed s t r u g g l e and t o - l i m i t t h e s t a t u r e o f t h e Chinese p a r t y and its e x p e r i e n c e . The same f u n c t i o n w a s s e r v e d by t h e e d i t o r i a l ' s s p e c i f i c i n j u n c t i o n t o t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y t o be guided by " t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e n a t i o n a l - l i b e r a t ion movement i n China and other countries." (Emphasis added.) I n a d d i t i o n , t h e edit o r i a l now i n s t r u c t e d t h e C P I Po u n i t e w i t h " a l l classes, p a r t i e s , g r o u p s and o r g a n i z a t i o n s " w i l l i n g t o j o i n it i n a . b a t t l e a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m , f e u d a l i s m , and " t h e r e a c t i o n a r y b i g bourgeois i e I'

I
, . . 1

'

The i n i t i a l r e a c t i o n of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o t h i s s i g n a l w a s t o heed t h e second i n s t r u c t i o n - - t o r e j e c t R a n a d i v e P s nasrow approach and form a f o u r - c l a s s a l l i a n c e - - b u t t o m i s i n t e r p r e t t h e more i n d i r e c t s u g g e s t i o n t h a t armed s t r u g g l e i t s e l f be ended. I n May 1950, a c e n t r a l committee meeting o u s t e d Ranadive as g e n e r a l secretary and i n s t a l l e d i n c o n t r o l t h e Andhra l e a d e r s , headed by Rajeswar R a Q . The t r i u m p h a n t Andhra group proceeded p u b l i c l y t o w i t h d r a w and a p o l o g i z e f o r t h e Ranadive' a t t a c k s on Mao Tse-tung, and t h e n t o a t t e m p t t o p u t i n t o e f f e c t t h e Chinese f o r m u l a o f armed struggle i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e combined w i t h " l e g a l t a c t i c s " i n t h e c i t i e s . T h i s , however, proved no more successful t h a n t h e Ranadive l i n e . The p a r t y ' s " l i b e r a t i o n war" l o s t s u p p o r t among t h e Telengana p e a s a n t r y a f t e r t h e I n d i a n government o c c u p i e d Hyderabad and a p p l i e d s t r o n g m i l i t a r y p r e s s u r e on t h e r e v o l t ; and e f f o r t s

14

t o open a g r a r i a n r e b e l l i o n s i n o t h e r areas were l a r g e l y una v a i l i n g . A t t h e same t i m e , it proved i m p o s s i b l e t o o b t a i n f r o m t h e Nehru government t h e l e g a l s t a t u s i n c i t i e s necess a r y t o b u i l d a u n i t e d frmt t h e r e s o l o n g as t h e p a r t y w a s u s i n g v i o l e n c e i n t h e c o u n t r y s i d e . The p r o c e s s of d i s o r g a n i z a t i o n w i t h i n t h e p a r t y accelerated,* and a campaign of opp o s i t i o n t o t h e l i n e of t h e new l e a d e r s h i p w a s resumed by J o s h i and by t h e trade u n i o n leaders under Dange, who chall e n g e d Rajeswar Rao's c o n t e n t i o n t h a t a r e v o l u t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n now e x i s t e d i n India. Another c e n t e r of open opposit i o n came i n t o b e i n g when d i s s i d e n t p a r t y leaders working i n t h e c e n t r a l a p p a r a t u s banded t o g e t h e r t o f o r m t h e so-called " P a r t y H e a d q u a r t e r s U n i t ; " these rebels e v e n went So far as t o found a j o u r n a l f o r the: p u b l i c a t i o n of material o p p o s i n g t h e l i n e of t h e p a r t y leadership. Toward t h e close of 1950, t h e CPI r e c e i v e d a series of g u i d a n c e materials from t h e B r i t i s h Communist p a r t y s u p p o r t i n g t h e views of t h e p a r t y o p p o s i t i o n , a c c u s i n g t h e Rao leade r s h i p of h a v i n g m i s u n d e r s t o o d t h e J a n u a r y 1950 Cominform j o u r n a l editorial, denying t h a t a r e v o l u t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n s u i t a b l e f o r armed s t r u g g l e h09 existed i n I n d i a , and u r g i n g c o n c e n t r a t i o n on t h e b u i l d i n g of a broad u n i t e d f r o n t and t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of a l l l e g a l t a c t i c s , i n c l u d i n g p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n e l e c t i o n s . E a r l y i n 1951, s i m i l a r i n s t r u c t i o n s were reporte d l y g i v e n t o t h e C P I d i r e c t l y by t h e CPSU when a d e l e g a t i o n of C P I leaders of a l l f a c t i o n s is s a i d t o have v i s i t e d Moscow. A document e n t i t l e d t h e " T a c t i c a l L i n e " s a i d t o be based upon t h i s S o v i e t g u i d a n c e was c i r c u l a t e d s e c r e t l y w i t h i n t h e p a r t y a t t h i s t i m e , and s u b s e q u e n t l y p u b l i s h e d i n s l i g h t l y s a n i t i z e d form as a p a r t y d r a f t P o l i c y S t a t e m e n t i n May 1951. The " T a c t i c a l Line" s t a t e d , and t h e P o l i c y S t a t e m e n t i m p l i e d , t h a t t h e f i n a l o b j e c t i v e of t h e C P I was s t i l l an armed r e v o l u t i o n

. .
I

I
I

*Afterwards t h e C P I P o l i t b u r o t e s t i f i e d t h a t i n t h e c o u r s e of t h i s j o i n t " i n n e r - P a r t y s t r u g g l e " and b a t t l e a g a i n s t t h e government t h e f u n c t i o n i n g of e v e r y p a r t y u n i t had r e c e i v e d " t h e r u d e s t shock;'" t h a t a t t h e end of t h e s t r u g g l e in 1951 there was "very l i t t l e of P a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n ; " t h a t l o c a l , d i s t r i c t , and p r o v i n c i a l committees had t o be s e t up a l l o v e r a g a i n ; and t h a t t h e p a r t y ' s f r o n t s had become " v i r t u a l l y non-Zunctioning.?'

15

.
I '

'.

. .

t o o v e r t h r o w t h e Nehru government; b u t b o t h documents d e n i e d t h a t t h i s w a s now f e a s i b l e . These documents condemned b o t h Ranadive ' s i n s i s t e n c e on s e e k i n g r e v o l u t i o n p r i m a r i l y t h r o u g h g e n e r a l s t r i k e s o f i n d u s t r i a l w o r k e r s , on t h e S o v i e t p a t t e r n , and Rajeswar Rao's p r e o c c u p a t i o n w i t h p a r t i s a n w a r f a r e among t h e p e a s a n t r y , on t h e C h i n e s e p a t t e r n . I t was p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e l a t t e r p o l i c y had been u n s u c c e s s f u l p a r t l y b e c a u s e t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , u n l i k e t h e CCP, d i d n o t e n j o y t h e a d v a n t a g e of a f i r m and c o n t i g u o u s b a s e across t h e b o r d e r - - i n t h e Chi( T h i s p o i n t became i m p o r t a n t n e s e case, t h e S o v i e t Union. e i g h t y e a r s l a t e r , when t h e PLA a p p e a r e d on t h e I n d i a n - T i b e t a n b o r d e r i n force d u r i n g t h e s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t , and CPI l e f t i s t s t h e n began t o a r g u e t h a t t h e p a r t y now had i'ts c o n t i g u o u s base and c o u l d r e v i v e i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y t a c t i c s . ) The " T a c t i c a l L i n e " c a l l e d on t h e CPI t o l e a r n from b o t h t h e CPSU and t h e CCP and t o p r e p a r e f o r t h e t i m e when b o t h methods c o u l d be used i n c o n j u n c t i o n ; i n t h e meantime, t h e p a r t y w a s t o c o n t e n t i t s e l f w i t h b u i l d i n g t h e " r e v o l u t i o n a r y u n i t y " of " a l l d i s c o n t e n t e d s e c t i o n s and classes*'.
I n r e a l i t y , t h e s u b s e q u e n t h i s t o r y of t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y h a s been w h o l l y o c c u p i e d w i t h t h e p a r t y ' s e f f o r t s t o b u i l d t h i s " r e v o l u t i o n a r y u n i t y , and t h e r e v o l u t i o n i t s e l f has become an i n c r e a s i n g l y remote (and more complex) goal as t h e p o l i c i e s of t h e CPI and t h e CPSU have e v o l v e d . As Ajoy Ghosh r e p l a c e d R a j e s w a r Rao as t h e CPI leader to a p p l y t h e new l i n e i n A p r i l 1951, t h e I n d i a n p a r t y had come almost f u l l c i r c l e s i n c e 1947; b u t t h e p a r t y had now changed c o n s i d e r a b l y . While it w a s now a c c e p t e d t h a t t h e s i m p l e "Chinese p a t h " w a s n o t immediately s u i t a b l e t o I n d i a , it w a s also d r i v e n home i n a t h e minds o f a l l t h a t t h e Chinese Communist p a r t y and M o were m e n t o r s whose views s h o u l d be r e s p e c t f u l l y s t u d i e d a f t e r t h o s e of t h e CPSU. The r i g i d , a r b i t r a r y B o l s h e v i k d i s c i p l i n e which Ranadive had a t t e m p t e d t o w i e l d w i t h i n t h e p a r t y w a s now gone f o r e v e r ; moreover, as t h e secret o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t d e l i v e r ed t o t h e S i x t h CPI Congress i n 1961 n o t e d , e l e m e n t a r y Comm u n i s t d i s c i p l i n e was i t s e l f permanently d i s c r e d i t e d by t h e m i s u s e Ranadive had made o f i t , and t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y p u b l i c f a c t i o n a l d e f i a n c e of c e n t r a l a u t h o r i t y which had o r i g i n a l l y been j u s t i f i e d as t h e o n l y means t o d e t h r o n e f i r s t Ranadive and t h e n Rao w a s from now on i m p l a n t e d as a regular f e a t u r e of p a r t y l i f e . The new CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y , Ajoy Ghosh, w a s c a u g h t up immediately i n s u c h c o n t e n t i o n o f o p p o s i n g f a c t i o n s , oQer t h e l i n e t h e p a r t y s h o u l d adopt toward t h e Nehru government.

., . , . ...

16

..

.,
,

11.

THE C P I AND THE CHANGING SOVIET LINE TOWARD NEmU (1951-1955)

The m o s t i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e of t h e n e x t few y e a r s f o r t h e CPI w a s t h e g r a d u a l l y s o f t e n i n g S o v i e t a t t i t u d e toward Nehru. By degrees t h e I n d i a n p a r t y w a s forced t o follow t h e e v o l u t i o n o f S o v i e t p o l i c y i n agreeing first t h a t t h e r e were some p o s i t i v e a s p e c t s t o N e h r u ' s g e n e r a l l y b l a c k foreign p o l i c y , t h e n t h a t Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y was g e n e r a l l y good b u t t h i t h i s d o m e s t i c p o l i c y w a s bad, and f i n a l l y t h a t t h e r e were f a v o r a b l e f e a t u r e s o f h i s d o m e s t i c p o l i c y as w e l l , The CPI had t o be bludgeoned by Moscow and i t s a g e n t s i n ' t h e c e n t r a l CPI leaders h i p i n t o t a k i n g each p a i n f u l s t e p along t h i s path, usually w i t h a c o n s i d e r a b l e t i m e l a g behind t h e development of S o v i e t p o l i c y ; e a c h s u c h g r a d u a l m o d i f i c a t i o n of l i n e toward Nehru was accomplished o n l y o v e r t h e s t r e n u o u s o b j e c t i o n s of a l a r g e s e c t i o n o f t h e I n d i a n p a r t y which d i d n o t wish what it regarded as o p p o r t u n i t i e s - - t o advance t h e c a u s e of Communism i n I n d i a by o p p o s i n g Nehru--to be s a c r i f i c e d f o r t h e s a k e o f Sov i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y i n t e r e s t s . Such C I r e c a l c i t r a n c e was P r e f l e c t e d i n t h e p a r t y program adopted i n 1951, and t h e n w a s s t r o n g l y f e l t a t t h e T h i r d C P I Congress a t Madurai i n D e c e m b e r 1953. However, t h e S o v i e t movement away f r o m h o s t i l i t y t o Nehru, begun c a u t i o u s l y t h r e e y e a r s before S t a l i n ' s d e a t h , acc e l e r a t e d g r e a t l y t h e r e a f t e r i n t h e Bandung p e r i o d o f 1954 and 1955, when Nehru exchanged v i s i t s w i t h t h e S o v i e t and Chin e s e leaders and t h e USSR began a program o f economic a s s i s t ance t o I n d i a . Under t h e impact of t h e s e e v e n t s , t h e C P I became i n c r e a s i n g l y bound t o a moderate p o l i c y i n v o l v i n g r e l i a n c e upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s . T h i s t r e n d t o r e c e i v e its greate s t development a f t e r t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress i n 1956. By t h e t i m e of S t a l i n ' s d e a t h , any s e r i o u s d i v e r g e n c e between C h i n e s e and S o v i e t p o l i c y toward t h e n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n movement would seem t o have d i s a p p e a r e d , *arid Moscow and P e i p i n g a p p e a r t o have a c t e d i n c l o s e c o o r d i n a t i o n i n f o s t e r i n g warmer r e l a t i o n s w i t h Nehru i n 1954 and 1955. However, t h e r e l a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e Chinese p a r t y and t h e Chinese r e v o l u t i o n as a g u i d e t o Asia--which t h e CCP had s t u b b o r n l y upheld d u r i n g S t a l i n ' s l i f e t i m e - - w a s i n e v i t a b l y i n c r e a s e d as a r e s u l t of h i s death, a f a c t reflected d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d i n s t a t e m e n t s by both S o v i e t and Chinese leaders.

17

,
\

A.

E v o l u t i o n of S o v i e t L i n e B e f o r e S t a l i n ' s Death

U n t i l J u l y 1950, S o v i e t and Chinese propaganda had been h o s t i l e t o t h e Nehru government s i n c e i t s i n c e p t i o n . The New D e l h i regime w a s d e s c r i b e d as a l a c k e y of t h e B r i t i s h and American i m p e r i a l i s t s which a i d e d them i n t u r n i n g I n d i a i n t o an advance b a s e from which t o combat t h e n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n movement of Asia. The government, t h e Congress p a r t y , and t h e P r a j a S o c i a l i s t P a r t y w e r e a1 i k e l a b e l e d r e a c t i o n a r y I ' f l u n k i e s " of t h e Anglo-American warmongers. I z v e s t i y a in October 1949 c a l l e d Nehru's n e u t r a l i t y h y p o c r i t i c a l ; a C h i n e s e miter i n A p r i l 1950 s a i d t h a t he w a s a t t h e "beck and c a l l of t h e imp e r i a l i s t s ; " and t h e S o v i e t New Times i n June 1950 s a i d t h a t t h e r u l i n g c i r c l e s of I n d i a wereTEGiing aloof from p o l i t i c a l e n t a n g l e m e n t s o n l y b e c a u s e t h e y were afraid of e x p o s i n g thems e l v e s i n t h e e y e s of t h e masses. S h o f t l y a f t e r the o p e n i n g of t h e Korean war, however, t h e r e came a c h a n g e . On 1 J u l y 1950 t h e I n d i a n Ambassador t o P e i p i n g t e n t a t i v e l y suggested t o t h e CPR t h a t a s o l u t i o n t o t h e Korean problem could be reached by r e f e r r i n g it t o t h e UN S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l , w i t h t h e CPR being a d m i t t e d t o her " l e g i t i mate p l a c e " t h e r e and t h e S o v i e t s c o n s e q u e n t l y g i v i n g up t h e b o y c o t t of t h e C o u n c i l t h e y were t h e n m a i n t a i n i n g . When t h i s s u g g e s t i o n r e c e i v e d a f a v o r a b l e r e s p o n s e from P e i p i n g , Nehru on 13 J u l y s e n t i d e n t i c a l l e t t e r s t o S t a l i n and Acheson w i t h a formal p r o p o s a l a l o n g these l i n e s , which was p r o m p t l y a c c e p t e d by t h e USSR and rejected by t h e United S t a t e s . T h i s e v e n t w a s w a r m l y welcomed and p u b l i c i z e d by Moscow and P e i p i n g , w i t h 2 ' s -- a i l y h a i l i n g " t h e worId-wide s u p p o r t f o r t h e peacePeo l e D f u l p r o p o s a l s of J. Nehru and t h e r e p l y of J, V. S t a l i n . " From t h i s t i m e on, b o t h Communist s t a t e s a p p e a r t o have been m o t i v a t ed by a growing awareness of t h e u s e s t o be made of I n d i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y . I n t h e propaganda, s t a t e m e n t s by N e w D e l h i u n f a v o r a b l e t o t h e Communist position on Korea t e n d e d t o be downplayed or i g n o r e d , w h i l e f a v o r a b l e s t a t e m e n t s o r a c t i o n s were emphasized and exaggerated Although p r a i s e f o r Nehru p e r s o n a l l y c o n t i n u e d t o be almost wholly a b s e n t , t h e I n d i a n government as s u c h was often referred t o i n amicable t e r m s . M i l d c r i t i c i s m of t h e government, l a r g e l y r e g a r d i n g domestic p o l i c y , r e a p p e a r e d i n S o v i e t media about two months a f t e r t h e N e h r u - S t a l i n exchange and p e r s i s t e d s p o r a d i c a l l y u n t i l S t a l i n g s death
e

18

'

-. !

I n December 1950, R. Palme D u t t , a l e a d i n g B r i t i s h Comm u n i s t who had o f t e n i n t h e p a s t s e r v e d as a n a g e n t for t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n o f CPSU p o l i c y changes t o t h e CPI, a t t e m p t e d t o p e r s u a d e t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o modify its l i n e i n r e s p o n s e t o t h i s new e l e m e n t i n t h e bloc a t t i t u d e toward Nehru. In a pamphlet p u b l i s h e d by t h e C P I i n Bombay i n which D u t t p u r p o r t e d t o answer q u e s t i o n s a d d r e s s e d t o h i m by t h e C P I , h e h e l d t h a t t h e signs of a change i n I n d i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y e x e m p l i f i e d by N e h r u ' s s t a n d on t h e i s s u e s of Korea and P e i p i n g ' s adm i s s i o n t o t h e UN amounted t o ''a v e r y i m p o r t a n t development." Although t h i s was o n l y ''a b e g i n n i n g " ' and a l t h o u g h Nehru d i d n o t y e t have 'la c o n s i s t e n t p e a c e p o l i c y , ' ' y e t h e was showing at l e a s t " h e s i t a n t and l i m i t e d " o p p o s i t i o n t o i m p e r i a l i s m , which it w a s t h e d u t y of t h e CPI t o e n c o u r a g e . I t was a l s o t h e d u t y of t h e C P I ' t o b r i n g maximum p o p u l a r p r e s s u r e upon t h e I n d i a n government when it v a c i l l a t e d i n o r d e r t o d e f e a t t h e d e s i g n s of t h a t wing of t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e which fa7 volpa i m p e r i a l i s m and t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e hand of t h a t b o u r g e o i s wing l e d by Nehru which d i v e r g e d from i m p e r i a l i s t aims.

. even t h i s p a r t i a l r e a p p r a i s a l o f Nehru.

The I n d i a n p a r t y , however, w a s n o t y e t r e a d y t o a c c e p t The p a r t y Program and S t a t e m e n t of P o l i c y d r a f t e d by t h e p o l i t b u r o and c e n t r a l committee i n t h e s p r i n g of 1 9 5 1 and f o r m a l l y approved by a n A l l - I n d i a n P a r t y Conference t h e f o l l o w i n g October b o t h t o o k a n e g a t i v e view of N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y . The Program dec l a r e d t h a t t h e government " e s s e n t i a l $ y c a r r i e s o u t t h e f o r e i g n p o l i c y of B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l i s m " and i n s i s t e d t h a t N e h r u ' s p o l i c y on t h e i s s u e of p e a c e w a s " s p u r i o u s " and h y p o c r i t i c a l . A decade l a t e r , P r a v d a was t o p r i n t a n a r t i c l e by CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y Ghosh w h l c h r e t r o a c t i v e l y condemned these s t a t e m e n t s of t h e 1951 CPI program as e r r o n e o u s .

As S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y c o n t i n u e d t o e x p l o r e f u r t h e r t h e a d v a n t a g e s t o be g a i n e d f r o m I n d i a n " n e u t r a l i t y " , it s i m u l t a n e o u s l y c o n t i n u e d t o push f o r w a r d t h e "peace" l i n e e x e m p l i f i e d by t h e Stockholm Peace Appeal of March 1950, which had as i t s c e n t r a l a i m t h e m o b i l i z a t i o n of t h e b r o a d e s t p o s s i b l e p u b l i c opposition--on a n o n - c l a s s b a s i s - - t o t h e f o r e i g n p o l i c i e s of t h e " i m p e r i a l i s t " powers, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e United S t a t e s . The CPI w a s p l a c e d under i n c r e a s i n g p r e s s u r e by Moscow t o d e v o t e c e n t r a l a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s "peace" campaign a g a i n s t America, n and t h i s i t u r n r e i n f o r c e d t h e p r e s s u r e on t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o modify its l i n e toward Nehru, who w a s viewed by Moscow as f a c i l i t a t i n g t h i s campaign i n c e r t a i n r e s p e c t s .

19

..
I '

. .

..

. .

In t h i s c o n t e x t , t h e i s s u e of t h e l i n e t o be * t a k e n toward Nehru was f o u g h t o u t w i t h i n the_ CPI for. t h e ne'xt few years i n t e r m s of t h e q u e s t i o n of whether B r i t i s h o r American i m p e r i a l i s m was t h e c h i e f enemy f a c i n g t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e . Those CPI leaders who e i t h e r o u t o f o b e d i e n c e t o Moscow o r b e c a u s e of t h e i r own less m i l i t a n t i n c l i n a t i o n s wished t o t a k e a s o f t e r l i n e toward Nehru h e l d t h a t t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e main i n t e r n a t i o n a l enemy--the U n i t e d States--was paramount i n I n d i a as w e l l , and t h a t a l l o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s o u g h t t o be s u b o r d i n a t e d t o t h e cause o f a t t r a c t i n g t h e m a x i m u m p o s s i b l e I n d i a n s u p p o r t , i n c l u d i n g Nehru i f p o s s i b l e , t o t h e p e a c e campaign. An o p p o s i n g CPI f a c t i o n w a s l e d by t h e c h i e f t a i n s o f t h e Andhra p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y , R a s j e s w a r Rao and Sundarayya, w i t h i n c r e a s i n g l y s i g n i f i c a n t s u p p o r t now a l s o from West Bengal and t h e Punjab, which w e r e t r a d i t i o n a l l y c e n t e r s of I n d i a n t e r r o r i s m . T h i s f a c t i o n t e n d e d t o pay o b e i s a n c e t o t h e world f i g h t a g a i n s t American i m p e r i a l i s m and t o t h e p e a c e campaign, b u t to emphasize t h a t t h e p r i m a r y enemy of t h e I n d i a n Communist- P a r t y remained B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l i s m , which s t i l l c o n t r o l l e d I n d i a as a s e m i c o l o n y t h r o u g h its economic i n v e s t m e n t s and t h r o u g h its p o l i t i cal i n s t r u m e n t , t h e Nehru government. I m p l i c i t i n t h i s l i n e w a s t h e demand t o c a r r y on mass s t r u g g l e s ( i f , f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g , no l o n g e r v i o l e n t u p r i s i n g s ) a g a i n s t t h e N e w D e l h i regime, and n o t t o compromise t h e s e s t r u g g l e s f o r t h e sake of t h e -broader i n t e r e s t s of S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y .
B.

Death of S t a l i i n and T h i r d (Madurai) C P X Congress

Throughout 1952 and 1953 t h e s e c o n d , o r m i l i t a n t f a c t i o n remained t h e s t r o n g e r of t h e two w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , w i t h t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p l e d by Ghosh s t r i v i n g t o b r i d g e t h e gap between t h e i n c r e a s i n g l y d i v e r g e n t views of Moscow and t h e Andhra m i l i t a n t s . While an e x t e n d e d p a r t y plbnum a t t h e close of 1952 c r i t i c i z e d t h e C P I ' s neglect of t h e p e a c e movement and promised t o make t h i s t h e c e n t r a l t a s k of t h e p a r t y , a c e n t r a l committee r e s o l u t i o n t h e f o l l o w i n g March c o n t f n u e d t o i d e n t i f y Great B r i t a i n as t h e c h i e f enemy and t o describe t h e Nehru government as a c o l l a b o r a t o r w i t h i m p e r i a l i s m . Altho-ygh Moscow is r e p o r t e d t o have s e n t a d i r e c t i v e t o t h e CPI a few months l a t e r u r g i n g it t o s t o p c r i t i c i z i n g Nehru on t h i s s c o r e i n t h e i n t e r e s t s of winning him o v e r t o > t h e "peace camp," strong opposition t o t h i s l i n e persisted within t h e party.

20

.i

A major showdown on t h i s i s s u e t o o k p l a c e a t t h e T h i r d CPI Congress, which w a s h e l d i n t h e s o u t h I n d i a c i t y of Madurai from 27 December 1953 t o 4 J a n u a r y 1954. The d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n p r e s e n t e d t o t h i s c o n g r e s s by t h e leade r s h i p of Ghosh and Dange on t h e whole t o o k t h e p o s i t i o n des i r e d by Moscow, w i t h some c o n c e s s i o n s t o t h e p a r t y m i l i t a n t s . The r e s o l u t i o n devoted somewhat more a t t e n t i o n t o t h e n e e d s of t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t American i m p e r i a l i s m t h a n t o t h e f i g h t a g a i n s t B r i t a i n , b u t a t t e m p t e d t o f i n e s s e t h e q u e s t i o n of which w a s more i m p o r t a n t by d e p i c t i n g t h e t w o as c o m p a t i b l e , s i n c e " t h e q u e s t i o n of d e f e a t i n g t h e war p l a n s of American imperia l i s t s , t h e d e f e n s e of I n d i a ' s freedom from t h e American t h r e a t " was " c l o s e l y l i n k e d w i t h t h e q u e s t i o n of I n d i a ' s winning f r e e dom, l i q u i d a t i n g f e u d a l i s m ' ' and of a c c o m p l i s h i n g "a b r e a k w i t h t h e B r i t i s h Empire'' and t h e removal of t h e " B r i t i s h s t r a n g l e h o l d on I n d i a ' s economy." A s i m i l a r compromise s t a n d was t a k e n on Nehru. The r e s o l u t i o n s a i d t h a t t h e I n d i a n government's r o l e on a number of i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s s u e s had been " a p p r e c i a t e d by t h e p e a c e - l o v i n g masses", and enumerated New D e l h i ' s "denunc i a t i o n o f t h e atom bomb, its h e l p i n e n d i n g t h e h o s t i l i t i e s i n Korea, its condemnation bf t h e t a c t i c s of Syngman Rhee," its o p p o s i t i o n t o U.S. m i l i t a r y a i d t o P a k i s t a n , and its conc l u s i o n of c u l t u r a l and t r a d e agreements w i t h t h e USSR and China. The r e s o l u t i o n warned, however, t h a t t h i s d i d n o t mean t h a t " d e m o c r a t i c forces s h o u l d u n c r i t i c a l l y and u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y g i v e g e n e r a l o v e r a l l s u p p o r t t o t h e government p o l i c i e s e v e n i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s p h e r e , " s i n c e t h o s e p o l i c i e s "do n o t follow c o n s i s t e n t l y a p o l i c y of peace and democracy;" and t h e r e s o l u t i o n went on t o l i s t actions by New D e l h i which had h e l p e d i m p e r i a l i s m . The c o n c l u s i o n r e a c h e d w a s t h a t " w h i l e s u p p o r t i n g a l l t h e p o s i t i v e measures," t h e p a r t y s h o u l d " i n t e n s i f y p r e s s u r e on t h e I n d i a n government i n o r d e r t o m a k e i t p u r s u e a c o n s i s t e n t policy of peace." ( A t t h e same t i m e , t h e p a r t y was called on t o b u i l d a broad u n i t e d f r o n t i n s u c h a manner t h a t Communist p o l i c i e s and freedom of a c t i o n were n o t r e s t r i c t e d i n any way, w h i l e y e t g a t h e r i n g s u p p o r t t o r e p l a c e t h e Congress P a r t y government w i t h a "government of democratic u n i t y " of t h e C P I and i t s a l l i e s . )

All t h i s w a s n o t s a t i s f a c t o r y t o t h e Andhra m i l i t a n t s , who s u b m i t t e d a document t o t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s known as t h e "Andhra T h e s i s " which d i d n o t s p e c i f i c a l l y a r g u e t h e q u e s t i o n of p o l i c y toward Nehru, b u t which d e p l o r e d " g e n e r a l t a l k of f i g h t i n g Anglo-American i m p e r i a l i s m " and i n s i s t e d t h a t t h e

- 21

- T I

..

.,

,.

long-term need t o oppose America a6 t h e " i n t e r n a t i o n a l enemy'' s h o u l d n o t be a l l o w e d t o obscure t h e immediate and p r i m a r y I t c o n c r e t e t a s k " of t h e CPI, which was t o f i g h t B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l i s m and i t s a g e n t s i n I n d i a . D e s p i t e t h e p r e s e n c e a t t h e c o n g r e s s o f S o v i e t embassy r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , as w e l l as B r i t i s h p a r t y g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y H a r r y Pollit--who emphasized t h e ant-iAmerican l i n e i n h i s s p e e c h e s - - d e l e g a t e s from Andhra, P u n j a b , and West Bengal r e p o r t e d l y t r i e d and f a i l e d t o amend t h e p o l i t i cal r e s o l u t i o n i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e i r views. When t h e r e s o l u t i o n w a s f i n a l l y p a s s e d , one l e f t i s t Andhra leader, Basavapunn i a h , is s a i d t o have f o r m a l l y announced t h e a b s t e n t i o n of n e a r l y o n e - t h i r d t h e d e l e g a t e s p r e s e n t . The l e a d e r s h i p a t t e m p t ed t o appease t h e m i l i t a n t o p p o s i t i o n by g r a n t i n g them s t r o n g r e p r e s e n t a t i o n on t h e new c e n t r a l committee, which w a s b a l a n c e d t o i n c l u d e members of a l l f a c t i o n s . Although t h e CPSU had had d i f f i c u l t i e s a number of t i m e s b e f o r e i n g e t t i n g t h e C P I t o amend its l i n e i n r e s p o n s e t o a s h i f t i n S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y , it is l i k e l y t h a t t h e o b s t r u c t i o n it e n c o u n t e r e d a t t h i s C P I Congress--and on s e v e r a l occ a s i o n s a g a i n i n t h e n e x t f e w years--was due at l e a s t i n p a r t t o the b e g i n n i n g o f a gradual e r o s i o n of CPSU a u t h o r i t y res u l t i n g from t h e d e a t h of S t a l i n . With t h e - demise of t h e Sov i e t vozhd in March 1953 t h e S o v i e t p a r t y l o s t a n i r r e p l a c a b l e a s s e t n i t s d e a l i n g s w i t h f o r e i g n Communist p a r t i e s , s i n c e t h e awe i n s p i r e d by t h e man who had dominated t h e movement f o r three decades w a s found t o be n o t t r a n s f e r r a b l e . The d i f f i c u l t i e s t h i s c a u s e d f o r t h e CPSU w i t h i n t h e C P I were e v e n t u a l l y t o be g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d , f i r s t by t h e p r o c e s s of d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n and t h e n by t h e g r a d u a l r i s e of Chinese o p p o s i t i o n t o S o v i e t p o l i c i e s .
C.

I
, I

'

' ,

'

I
I

! I

The CPI and t h e Development of t h e Bandung L i n e

A f t e r t h e Madurai Congress, Indian-American r e l a t i o n s dec l i n e d f o r a v a r i e t y of r e a s o n s i n t h e s p r i n g of 1954, and t h e e v o l u t i o n of a C h i n e s e and S o v i e t p o l i c y c o n c i l a t o r y t o ' N e h r u was a c c e l e r a t e d . I n J u n e 1954, Chou E n - l a i v i s i t e d N e w D e l h i f o r t a l k s w i t h Nehru, f o l l o w i n g which a communique was i s s u e d e n u n c i a t i n g t h e F i v e P r i n c i p l e s (Panch S h i l a ) of p e a c e f u l coe x i s t e n c e . A few d a y s a f t e r Chou's a r r i v a l , CPI g e n e r a l secr e t a r y Ajoy Ghosh d e p a r t e d f o r an e x t e n d e d s t a y i n Moscow, o s t e n s i b l y f o r medical r e a s o n s b u t i n f a c t p r i m a r i l y f o r

I
I

22

m n

l e n g t h y c o n v e r s a t i o n s on t h e new c o u r s e o f C P I p o l i c y . The p a r t y was meanwhile p l u n g e d a g a i n i n t o v i o l e n t c o n t r o v e r s y s h o r t l y a f t e r Chou's d e p a r t u r e from I n d i a . On 18 J u l y , t h e e d i t o r of t h e p a r t y weekly New Age, t h e P o l i t b u r o member P. R a m a m u W i , wrote an a r t i c l e i n which h e d'eclared: t h a t t h e Nehru-Chob t a l k s had wrought a "change i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p of forces in Asia;" w e l c o m e d "warmly and e n t h u s a s t i c a l l y " t h e development of " c o o p e r a t i o n and f r i e n d s h i p " between New D e l h i and t h e b l o c ; and advanced t h e s l o g a n of a %ational p l a t f o r m f o r p e a c e and freedom." T h i s s l o g a n w a s immediately a t t a c k e d s t r o n g l y by m i l i t a n t s from a l l s e c t i o n s of t h e p a r t y as implyi n g t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d now c o n c l u d e an a l l i a n c e w i t h Nehru and t h e Congress p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n , and i n e a r l y September 1954 a c o a l i t i o n of l e f t i s t s from v a r i o u s p r o v i n c e s a c t u a l l y s u c c e e d e d i n g e t t i n g a c e n t r a l committee plenum to condemn t h e p a r t y p o l i t b u r o f o r h a v i n g committed a "reformist" m i s take in a u t h o r i z i n g t h e p u b l i c a t i o n of R a m a m u r a E s a r t i c l e . T h i s action by t h e c e n t r a l committee w a s e x t r e m e l y r e v e a l i n g i n its d e m o n s t r a t i o n of t h e e x t e n t t o which a u t h o r i t y w i t h i n t h e p a r t y had been d i s p e r s e d among t h e p r o v i n c e s s i n c e Ranad i v e ' s time. A l a t e r p a r t y document commented t h a t a f t e r t h e c e n t r a l committee had r e g i s t e r e d its r e b u k e , "even t h i s c r i t i cism w a s n o t c o n s i d e r e d enough by c e r t a i n P r o v i n c i a l Committees who t h o u g h t t h a t t h e P o l i t b u r o had not been d e a l t w i t h adequately. T h i s .document a n a l y z e d t h e m o t i v a t i o n of t h e c e n t r a l committee l e f t i s t s as f o l l o w s :

...

The c e n t r a l committee had t o e v o l v e a t a c t i c a l l i n e i n a c h a n g i n g s i t u a t i o n , and f o r t h a t it had t o t r y t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e changes t h e m s e l v e s . T h i s was comp l e t e l y l a c k i n g . F e a r g r i p p e d t h e committees--fear of committing r e f o r m i s t m i s t a k e s . Some comrades of t h e c e n t r a l committee even w e n t s o f a r as t o ascribe t h e success of t h e c o n g r e s s i n s t r e n g t h e n i n g its p o s i t i o n t o r e f o r m i s t m i s t a k e s committed by t h e p a r t y . The " r e f o r m i s t m i s t a k e s " which t h e l e f t i s t s f e l t t h e leade r s h i p had committed may have i n c l u d e d an i n s t r u c t i o n which (a B r i t i s h s e r v i c e r e p o r t e d ) had been s e n t o u t by CPI headquart e s t 0 p a r t y workers i n t h e s p r i n g of 1954, a d v i s i n g them t o go s l o w i n t h e i r a g i t a t i o n a g a i n s t t h e government i n view of t h e "delicate n a t u r e of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s i t u a t i o n . " I n Parl i a m e n t , d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g and summer, CPI r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s had

- 23

found t h e m s e l v e s r e s t r i c t e d by p a r t y p o l i c y t o attacks upon

t h e West and t o criticism of t h e government's domestic f i n a n c i a l a d economic p o l i c i e s ; b e c a u s e Nehru had seized t h e

i n i t i a t i v e i n e s p o u s i n g an a n t i - W e s t e r n p o s i t i o n on a number of f o r e i g n p o l i c y i s s u e s - - e . g . , c o l o n i a l i s m , Korea, I n d o c h i n a , and U.S. m i l i t a r y a i d t o Pakistan--Communist d e p u t i e s were forced t o t r a i l b e h i n d h i m w i t h p r a i s e on each s u c h i s s u e . Such "tailism" w i t h respect t o t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e w a s most u n c o m f o r t a b l e f o r t h e m i l i t a n t s e c t i o n of t h e I n d i a n Party D u t t Cominform Article: On 8 O c t o b e r 1954, however, t h e Cominform j o u r n a l p u b l i s h e d a n a r t i c l e by A. Palme D u t t i n which t h i s - B r i t i s h Communist i n d i r e c t l y reaffirmed t h e Ramamurthi t h e s i s , t h i s t i m e from a n a u t h o r i t a t i v e forum. T h i s a r t i c l e is s a i d by a s u b s e q u e n t p a r t y document t o have thrown t h e p o l i t buro " i n t o a s t a t e of p a n i c . " Already " d i v i d e d and d e m o r a l i a ed" by t h e c e n t r a l committee!s a c c u s a t i o n t h a t i t had b a c k s l i d i n t o reformism, and w i t h o u t g e n e r a l secretary Ghosh who w a s i n Moscow, t h e p o l i t b u r o on 3 November h a s t i l y summoned an emergency m e e t i n g of t h e c e n t r a l committee and there p l a c e d b e f o r e it a r e s o l u t i o n r e j e c t i n g t h e l i n e f a k e n i n D u t t ' s Cominform a r t i c l e . D u r i n g f i v e e n s u i n g d a y s of debate i n t h e : Central committee, s o m e t h i n g l i k e an a b o r t i v e r e v o l t a g a i n s t CPSU a u t h a i t y appears t o have t a k e n place. The Andhra leaders are r e p o r t e d t o have r e v i v e d t h e i r o l d argument a b o u t t h e s u p e r i o r i t y of Chinese t o S o v i e t e x p e r i e n c e as a model f o r CPI t a c t i c s , * and other speakers are s a i d t o have declared t h a t it w a s obv i o u s t h a t Moscow .(and h e n c e D u t t ) c o u l d err; t h e r e c e n t S o v i e t r e v e r s a l of l i n e toward T i t o was c i t e d as proof of t h i s . I n t h e m i d s t of t h e debate, however, a t e l e g r a m is reported t o have a r r i v e d from Ghosh i n Moscow u r g i n g t h e p a r t y n o t t o be h a s t y i n r e j e c t i n g D u t t ' s l i n e ; and f i n a l l y t h e c e n t r a l committee d i d reject t h e p o l i t b u r o r e s o l u t i o n and adopted i n s t e a d a r e s o l u t i o n t a k i n g a noncommital a t t i t u d e toward D u t t , d e c l a r i n g t h a t "more t i m e and t h o u g h t " were r e q u i r e d t o r e s o l v e t h e "imp o r t a n t d i f f e r e n c e s " w i t h i n t h e c e n t r a l committee. *There is no e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e CCP a t t h i s t i m e e n c o u r a g e d any CPI leaders t o take t h i s l i n e , and it appears u n l i k e 3 y t h a t P e i p i n g would have done so--bbth because of t h e r e l a t i v e l y harmonious S i n o - S o v i e t r e l a t i o n s e x i s t i n g i n t h i s period and b e c a u s e P e i p i n g ' s c u r r e n t l i n e toward Nehru w a s n o t i n f a c t t h a t of t h e CPI m i l i t a n t s .
I

!
1
I

'
..

i
!

24

A few weeks l a t e r , Ghosh r e t u r n e d from Moscow and immed i a t e l y began':fo write a r t i c l e s and p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t s s u g g e s t i n g t h a t he had s h i f t e d f u r t h e r t o t h e r i g h t . H i s new l i n e was summarized by a s t a t e m e n t on 7 December t h a t " t h e i n t e r n a l p o l i c y of t h e Nehru Government does n o t s u i t t h e i n t e r e s t s of t h e masses, w h i l e t h e f o r e i g n p o l i c y does." The t a s k of i m p o s i n g t h i s l i n e on t h e CPI was h e l p e d by t h e r e t u r n v i s i t which Nehru had r e c e n t l y paid t o t h e CPR t h a t f a l l , b u t was made more d i f f i c u l t by s p e e c h e s which Nehru s u b s e q u e n t l y del i v e r e d i n November p r a i s i n g t h e CPR b u t b i t t e r l y a t t a c k i n g t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y . While Ghosh a t t e m p t e d t o keep t h e CPI from r e s p o n d i n g w i t h p e r s o n a l a t t a c k s on Nehru, t h e o r g a n of t h e West Bengal p a r t y , Swadhinata, n e v e r t h e l e s s d i d p u b l i s h an e d i t o r i a l a s s a i l i n g t h e Prime M i n i s t e r ; t h i s w a s t h e f i r s t known example of what w a s t o p r o v e a p e r s i s t e n t p o l i c y of d e f i a n c e of t h e p a r t y c e n t e r by Swadhinata which c o n t i n u e s t o t h i s day.

F e b r u a r y 1955 Andhra E l e c t i o n s : The o b j e c t i o n s of t h e CPI l e f t i s t s t o t h e t r e n d of S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y w e r e augmented by c e r t a i n S o v i e t s t a t e m e n t s made s h o r t l y before t h e h o l d i n g of import a n t elect i o n s i n Andhra p r o v i n c e i n F e b r u a r y 1955. A n e d i t o r i a l i n P r a v d a on 26 J a n u a r y 1 9 5 5 - - I n d i a ' s R e p u b l i c Day--not o n l y p r a i s e d t h e f o r e i g n p o l i c y o f "the o u t s t a n d i n g s t a t e s m a n Jawaharlal Nehru" b u t went on t o l i s t and praise t h e domestic accomplishments o f t h e Nehru government i n t h e f i e l d s of a g r i c u l t u r e , consumer goods' p r o d u c t i o n , e d u c a t i o n and p u b l i c h e a l t h . I n c i d e n t a l p r a i s e f o r New D e l h i ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y w a s also c o n t a i n e d i n t h e 8 F e b r u a r y 1955 speech d e l i v e r e d by F o r e i g n M i n i s t e r Molotov t o t h e Supreme S o v i e t , as w e l l a s i n a n o t h e r Pravda e d i t o r i a l o f 2 1 F e b r u a r y . Such statements--and e s p e c i a l l y t h e 26 January P r a v d a e d i t o r i a l - were s k i l l f u l l y used i n Congress P a r t y p r o p a g a n m i n s t t h e 6 1 i n t h e Andhra e l e c t i o n campaign; t h i s had c o n s i d e r a b l e eff e c t , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n view of t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Andhra p a r t y , as t h e m o d e r a t e s i n t h e p a r t y c e n t e r l a t e r emphasized, a p p l i e d " s e c t a r i a n t a c t i c s " d u r i n g t h e campaign and " f a i l e d t o r e c o g n i z e t h e p r o g r e s s i v e o r i e n t a t i o n i n t h e Government's f o r e i g n After t h e Andhra p a r t y had l o s t t h i s e l e c t i o n , some policy." p a r t y l e f t i s t s accused Ghosh of h a v i n g been s e c r e t l y p l e a s e d w i t h t h i s f a i l u r e as c o n s t i t u t i n g a blow t o t h e c o n c e i t o f t h e Andhra p r o v i n c i a l committee and t o its independence of t h e p a r t y c e n t e r . Along w i t h b e i n g i n d i g n a n t a t Moscow for its u n p r i n c i p l e d a c t i o n s i n making t h e s e s t a t e m e n t s , t h e l e f t i s t s

25

were a n g r y a t Ghosh and t h e p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p f o r h a v i n g f a i l e d e i t h e r t o p r i n t t h e J a n u a r y P r a v d a e d i t o r i a l and Molotov's s t a t e m e n t s i n N e w A e o r t o h a v e s s u e d a secret c i r c u l a r about g them, so t h a t t h e Andhra l e a d e r s h i p was n o t g i v e n g u i d a n c e on t h e S o v i e t l i n e and w a s c a u g h t p u b l i c l y c o n t r a d i c t i n g i t .
Throughout 1 9 5 5 t h e USSR and t h e CPR c o n t i n u e d t o d e v e l o p t h e new p o l i c y toward Nehru. I n A p r i l t h e Bandung c o n f e r e n c e of Asian and Africa7,leaders was h e l d , and Chou E n - l a i showed t h e Asian b o u r g e o i s i e a d i s a r m i n g l y moderate image of t h e CPR and Chinese eommunism. A t about t h e same tdme a t e n t a t i v e c o n t r a c t w a s s i g n e d b a s e d on an earlier o f f e r of S o v i e t a i d on f a v o r a b l e terms i n c o n s t r u c t i n g a large s t e e l m i l l i n I n d i a . I n May, an e d i t o r i a l i n t h e CPSU j o u r n a l Kommunist gave t h e first i n d i c a t i o n of a coming change i n t h e p r e v i o u s l y h o s t i l e S o v i e t a p p r a i s a l of Gandhi. I n June, Nehru p a i d a n e x t e n d e d v i s i t t o t h e S o v i e t Union.
While Nehru w a s t o u r i n g t h e USSR, t h e CPI c e n t r a l committee h e l d a month-long m e e t i n g h e a t e d l y d e b a t i n g these e v e n t s ; a t t h e close of t h i s s e s s i o n a new p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n was adopted r e p r e s e n t i n g a compromise between t h e o p p o s i n g f a c t i o n s , f i n a l l y s u p p o r t i n g Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y w h i l e t a k i n g a conf u s e d and c o n t r a d i c t o r y b u t l a r g e l y h o s t i l e l i n e toward h i s domestic p o l i c y . I n s t e a d of,u n i t i n g t h e p a r t y , t h i s CPI compromise, l i k e so many o t h e r s before and s i n c e , o n l y exacerbated t h e f a c t i o n a l s t r u g g l e . A;:later p o l i t b u r o r e p o r t d e c l a r e d t h a t t h r e e "more o r less w e l l - d e f i n e d groups w i t h i n - t h e p 8 r t y " n - t h e s u p p o r t e r s of t h e r e s o l u t i o n and its lef-tist and r i g h t i s t c r i t ics--now began an . " i n t e n s e p o l i t i c a l s t r u g g l e " which "became t h e main f e a t u r e of i n n e r - p a r t y l i f e from t o p t o bottom," so t h a t "even t h e c u r r e n t a c t i v i t y of t h e p a r t y came t o a s t a n d s t i l l in most p r o v i n c e s . " The r i g h t i s t s were a t t h i s stage once more l e d by P. C. Joshi, who had staged a g r a d u a l conribadz w i t h i n t h e p a r t y s i n c e 1951 and was now a g a i n w r i t i n g for N e w Age. JosSwas s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d n o t o n l y by t h e new bloc l i n e toward N e h r u , b u t also b y N e h r u ' s avowals of TPOQg r e s s i v e " and rtsocialist't goals;* i n J u l y 1955, i n a p r i v a t e

. .
I
~

'

*In December 1954 t h e I n d i a n government had i n t r o d u c e d a r e s o l u t i o n i n t o P a r l i a m e n t d e c l a r i n g t h e goal of government p o l i c y t o b e ' : t h e c r e a t i o n of a s o c i a l i s t p a t t e r n of s o c i e t y .

26

--

..

..

, ' . .

..

. .

c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h a f o J l o w e r , h e e x p r e s s e d g r e a t admirat i o n f o r *hat h e termed N e h r u ' s great c o n t r i b u t i o n t o Asian s o c i a l i s m , c a l l e d t h e Prime M i n i s t e r a g r e a t mass leader and g e n u i n e p r o g r e s s i v e , and s a i d t h a t it would be s u i c i d a l f o r t h e CPI t o c o n t i n u e a p o l i c y of o p p o s i t i o n t o hitp. J o s h i now wanted t h e p a r t y t o s u p p o r t Nehru a l l a l o n g t h e l i n e and work toward a c o a l i t i o n government with h i s wing of t h e Congress p a r t y . A t t h e o t h e r e x t r e m e , t h e leftists of Andhra and t h e P u n j a b were a n g r y even a t those k i n d t h i n g s which t h e p a r t y had s a i d a b o u t Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y , and blamed Ghosh f o r r e n d e r i n g t a c i t s u p p o r t t o what t h e y f e l t w a s J o s h i ' s "appease Nehru" 1 ne i

These o p p o s i n g v i e w s were d i s s e m i n a t e d by t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e p o l i t b u r o champions w i t h i n t h e p r o v i n c i a l committees where each leader had h i s s t r e n g t h , and were even p u b l i s h e d i n t h e i n t e r n a l c e n t r a l committee o r g a n Forum. During t h i s period t h e p o l i t b u r o i t s e l f , by its own s u b s e q u e n t t e s t i m o n y , had v i r t u a l l y ceased t o m e e t . With t h e r o o t s of t h e i r p o l i t i c a l and p a r t y s t r e n g t h i n t h e p r o v i n c e s o r i n specialized f i e l d s of a c t i v i t y s u c h as t h e trade u n i o n s , h a r d l y any of t h e p o l i t b u r o members wished t o o r d i d d e v o t e a t t e n t i o n t o t h e weak p a k t y . c e n t e r . T h i s i n d i f f e r e n c e - - a n d i t s c o r o l l a r y , the cont i n u e d f a i l u r e o f t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s t o keep t h e c e n t e r informed of what w a s g o i n g on t h r o u g h o u t t b p a r t y - had come t o be a more o r less permanent f e a t u r e of CPI l i f e , and was lamented by o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t s d e l i v e r e d t o cent r a l committee m e e t i n g s and P a r t y c o n g r e s s e s in 1951, 1954, 1956, and a g a i n - i n 1961.
I

b -

On 7 J u l y 1955, s o o n a f t e r t h e c o n c l u s i o n of t h e c e n t r a l committee meeting, Ghosh s u f f e r e d a r e c u r r e n c e o f h i s a n n u a l i l l n e s s and went t o ere he remained u n t i l 6 September. he carried back w i t h h i m a CPSU e n t i n t e n d e d f o r c i r c u l a t i o n t o f o r e i g n Communist p a r t i e s p r o v i d i n g some advance i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e l i n e on " p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o s o c i a l i s m " t h a t was t o be promulgated a t t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress t h e n e x t s p r i n g . I t is n o t known whether t h i s document w a s d i s c u s s e d a t t h e c e n t r a l committee m e e t i n g h e l d i n September a f t e r Ghosh's r e t u r n ; t h i s m e e t i n g w a s rep o r t e d t o have reached s u b s t a n t i a l agreement i n s u p p o r t of N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y " i n t h e main," b u t t o have d i s p l a y e d c o n t i n u e d great d i f f e r e n c e s o v e r t h e l i n e toward h i s d o m e s t i c r o l e . A c e n t r a l committee r e s o l u t i o n now r e v e r s e d p r e v i o u s

27

I .

_ .

. ..

C P I o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e government's Second Five-Year P l a n , and p r o c l a i m e d a d u a l p o l i c y toward Nehru o f s u p p o r t i n g him where he was correct and o p p o s i n g him where h e was r e a c t i o n a r y . Meanwhile, amendments t o t h e p a r t y program were p r e p a r e d f o r r a t i f i c a t i o n by t h e n e x t CPI Congress, w a t e r i n g . down t h e 1951 s t a t e m e n t s d e f i n i n g N e h r u ' s government as an appendage of imperiali s m .

. .
I

Khrushchev-Bulganin V i s i t : In mid-November 1955 t h e CPSU completed t h is phrase i n t h e s h i f t i n p o l i c y toward Nehru when Khrushchev and B u l g a n i n v i s i t e d I n d i a , offered a long-term program of t e c h n i c a l a s s i s t a n c e t o I n d i a ' s i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n , and paid s e v e r a l t r i b u t e s t o Gandhi, t o Nehru, and t o N e h r u ' s "prog r e s s i v e " s t a t e m e n t s f a v o r i n g socialism. A w a r e of t h e d i v i s i v e effect these s t a t e m e n t s and a c t i o n s were bound t o have on t h e a l r e a d y d i v i d e d CPI, t h e S o v i e t p a r t y r e p o r t e d l y a t t e m p t e d t o o f f s e t t h i s in advance w i t h a l e t t e r s e n t t o t h e CPI p o l i t b u r o i n O c t o b e r . T h i s l e t t e r is s a i d t o have declared ambiguously t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y s h o u l d not be d i s c o u r a g e d by a n y t h i p g t h e S o v i e t government s a i d i n p u b l i c b u t s h o u l d c a r r y on i n good s p i r i t , b u i l d i n g up t h e p a r t y u n t i l s u c h t i m e when a more a c t i v e l i n e c o u l d be t a k e n . S e v e r a l weeks l a t e r , a member of t h e v i s i t i n g S o v i e t d e l e g a t i o n i s s a i d to. h a v e conveyed s i m i l a r advice t o t h e C P I leaders, u r g i n g t h e p a r t y n o t t o become "panicky" b e c a u s e of t h e Bulganin-Khrushchev s p e e c h e s of p r a i s e f o r Nehru, and d e c l a r i n g t h a t ' S o v i e t long-term aims were t h e r e d u c t i o n of I n d i a n dependence on and t i e s t o t h e United S t a t e s and B r i t a i n and t h e i n f i l t r a t i o n of t h e I n d i a n economy t h r o u g h t h e s u p p l y i n g of basic i n d u s t r i a l a i d .
R i s e i n C h i n e s e S t a t u r e : T h i s p e r i o d of 1954 and 1955, when t h e CPR w a s working i n close harmony w i t h t h e USSR i n promoting t h e s o f t l i n e toward t h e b o u r g e o i s i e of I n d i a and o t h e r Asian c o u n t r i e s , was t o p r o v e t h e all-time h i g h p o i n t both for S i n o - S o v i e t c o o p e r a t i o n g e n e r a l l y and f o r t h e degree of r e c o g n i t i o n g i v e n by Moscow t o t h e s t a t u r e of t h e Chinese p a r t y . Even two y e a r s before S t a l i n ' s d e a t h , he had g i v e n some i m p l i c i t r e c o g n i t i o n t o Chinese claims by a l l o w i n g t o be p r i n t e d i n t h e Cominform j o u r n a l a n a r t i c l e by Lu T i n g - i s t a t i n g t h a t Mao's t h e o r y of t h e Chinese r e v o l u t i o n w a s a "new development of Marxism-Leninism i n t h e r e v o l u t i o n of t h e c o l o n i a l and s e m i c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s " and a "new c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e t r e a s u r y of Marxism-Leninism." Lu went on t o s a y t h a t w h i l e t h e "classic t y p e of r e v o l u t i o n f o r t h e imperialist c o u n t r i e s is t h e

..

28

-.
. .

October R e v o l u t i o n , " t h e classic type f o r t h e c o l o n i a l and In March s e m i - c o l o n i a l c o u n t r i e s was t h e Chinese r e v o l u t i o n . 1954, a y e a r after S t a l i n ' s death, CCP p o l i t b u r o m e m b e r Chen Yun p u b l i c l y r e i t e r a t e d t h i s claim, a s s e r t i n g t h a t t h e C h i n e s e r e v o l u t i o n was " t h e m a j o r s e c t o r " o f , and i n s p i r a t i o n f o r t h e r e v o l u t i o n i n t h e East. For a v a r i e t y o f r e a s o n s , some p o s s i b l y related t o i n t e r n a l CPSU p o l i t i c s , t h e S o v i e t p a r t y not o n l y made no e f f o r t a f t e r S t a l i n ' s d e a t h t o c o u n t e r these Chinese claims, b u t made g e s t u r e s s p e c i a l l y i n t e n d e d t o placate P e i p i n g . On 8 F e b r u a r y 1955 Molotov p u b l i c l y referred t o t h e CPR as co-leader of t h e b l o c w i t h t h e S o v i e t Union; a l t h o u g h P e i p i n g n e v e r i t s e l f p i c k e d up t h i s f o r m u l a , it was reiteratedf o r a t i m e by Moscow and a number of f o r e i g n Communist p a r t i e s , i n c l u d i n g t h e CPI. An e q u a l l y s t r i k i n g g e s t u r e was P r a v d a ' s f o r m a l announcement, i n a s p e c i a l communique on 3 MmEST355, t h a t t h e a c c u s a t i o n s of e s p i o n a g e and s u b v e r s i o n bropght a g a i n s t Anna L o u i s e S t r o n g a t t h e t i m e of h e r arrest and exp u l s i o n in F e b r u a r y 1949 had been c o m p l e t e l y g r o u n d l e s s ; j u s t as h e r t r e a t m e n t by S t a l i n had been meant as a r e p r o o f t o Hao's p r e t e n s i o n s , t h i s s t a t e m e n t by S t a l i n ' s h e i r s was v e r y p r o b a b l y i n t e n d e d as an i n d i r e c t apology t o Hao.

. .

iI
,i
. .

.
,

..

. .

29

. ,
,

. . ..

. .

. ..

111.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE 2OTH CPSU CONGRESS (1956-1958)

The 2 0 t h Congress of t h e CPSU i n F e b r u a r y 1956 and t h e e v e n t s which flowed f r o m it a d m i n i s t e r e d a series of fundam e n t a l s h o c k s t o t h e C P I w i t h r e s u l t s which were t o e f f e c t g r e a t l y t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o Moscow and t o P e i p i n g down t o t h e p r e s e n t day. The f i r s t and most imp o r t a n t of t h e s e s h o c k s was t h a t of d e S t a l i n i z a t i o n , which on t h e one hand g r e a t l y i n t e n s i f i e d t h e s p i r i t of c y n i s i s m , t h e i n t e r n a l d i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , and t h e p e r s o n a l i n d i s c i p l i n e a l r e a d y w i d e s p r e a d b e c a u s e of t h e p a r t y ' s p r e v i o u s h i s t o r y , and on t h e o t h e r hand g r e a t l y a c c e l e r a t e d t h e long-term dec l i n e i n t h e a u t h o r i t y and p r e s t i g e of t h e CPSU which had begun w i t h t h e d e a t h of S t a l i n , w h i l e s i m u l t a n e o u s l y enhanci n g t h e a p p e a l of t h e CCP t o t h o s e s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y s y m p a t h e t i c t o P e i p i n g ' s v i e w p o i n t . T h i s development w a s f o l l o w e d by t h e Soviet s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e Hungarian reml u t i o n and t h e s u b s e q u e n t e x e c u t i o n of Nagy, which weakened t h e CPSU's p o s i t i o n among r i g h t i s t s e c t i o n s of t h e p a r t y . A t h i r d d i f f i c u l t y w a s meanwhile o c c a s i o n e d by t h e 2 0 t h Congress l i n e on p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n to.socialism, and p a r t i c u l a r l y by t h e extreme i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h a t l i n e i n a p p l i c a t i o n t o I n d i a p r o v i d e d by an a u t h o r i t a t i v e S o v i e t a r t i c l e i n tb summer of 1956 which i m p l i e d t h a t N e h r u , and n o t t h e CPI, would lead I n d i a i n t o t h e s o c i h l i s m system. T h i s v i e w p o i n t w a s d i r e c t l y c h a l l e n g e d i n p u b l i c by Ghosh, and t h e CPSU soon retreated t o a more o r t h o d o x p o s i t i o n which s t i l l e n j o i n e d CPI s u p p o r t f o r Nehru and CPI r e l i a n c e p r i m a r i l y upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s . Forces i n t h e Indian p a r t y favoring the parliamentary p a t h were s t r e n g t h e n e d by t h e p a r t y ' s a c c e s s i o n t o power t h r o u g h e l e c t i o n s i n t h e s t a t e of Kerala i n A p r i l 1957; and t h e CPI moved from t h e A p r i l 1956 l i n e of t h e P a l g h a t p a r t y c o n g r e s s (where t h e p a r t y c a u t i o u s l y acknowledged t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism t h r o u g h parliament a r y means backed by mass movements, and announced its i n t e n t i o n t o e x p l o r e t h i s p o s s i b i l i t y by c o n d u c t i n g itself as a p a r l i a m e n t a r y o p p o s i t i o n ) t o t h e A p r i l 1958 l i n e of t h e Amritsar Congress (which exuded c o n f i d e n c e t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y takeo v e r i n Kerala c o u l d be r e p e a t e d i n o t h e r I n d i a n states and e v e n t u a l l y even i n the c e n t e r ) .

30

. .
I '

,..

'.

..

Meanwhile, by t h e f a l l of 1956 t h e first i n d i c a t i o n s began t o a p p e a r of growing d i v e r g e n c e between t h e Chinese and S o v i e t p a r t i e s o v e r how f a r t h e s o f t l i n e toward t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e of Asian c o u n t r i e s s h o u l d be p u r s u e d . Chinese o b j e c t i o n s on t h i s s c o r e , o r i g i n a l l y s u g g e s t e d a t t h e t i m e of t h e E i g h t h CCP C o n g r e s s ' i n September 1956, were r e i n f o r c e d as t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y became i n c r e a s i n g l y committed t o t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y l i n e i n t h e w a k e o f a t h e Kerala e l e c t i o n , and C h i n e s e comments began t o be h e a r d i n 1958 c o n c e r n i n g t h e p e r n i c i o u s e f f e c t t h e Kerala M i n i s t r y was h a v i n g on t h e m i l i t a n c e and Marxist o r t h o d o x y of t h e CPI. A t t h e same t i m e t h e l e f t wing of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y l e d by t h e Andhra, West Bengal, and P u n j ab o r g a n i z a t i o n s , i n f u r i a t e d a t t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s and i n h i b i t i o n s which were imposed upon s t h e p a r t y a a whole by t h e need t o p r e s e r v e t h e Kerala government i n power, became more and more i n c l i n e d t o r e g a r d t h e l o n g - r e s p e c t & Chinese p a r t y as a s o u r c e of i n s p i r a t i o n m o r e c o n g e n i a l t o 'its i n t e r e s t s t h a n Moscow.
A t t h e end o f 1958 t h e r e w a s a momentary hardenAng o f t h e S o v i e t l i n e toward Nehru, o c c a s i o n e d p r i m a r i l y by t h e campaign b e i n g conducted by t h e Congress P a r t y and o t h e r - ' f o r c e s i n Kerala t o o u s t t h e Communist government. T h i s firmer Sov i e t a t t i t u d e was e x e m p l i f i e d by an a r t i c l e b y Yudin i n Problems of Peace and Socialism r e b u t t i n g Nehru's a t t a c k on Comm u n i s t s as a d d i c t e d t o v i o l e n c e , and p l a c i n g t h e onus f o r any p o s s i b l e v i o l e n c e on b o u r g e o i s r e s i s t a n c e t o a p e a c e f u l t r a n s f e r of power t o t h e Communist p a r t y . The S o v i e t s h i f t i n emp h a s i s proved t o be t e m p o r a r y , however, and i n 1959 t h e p o l a r i z a t i o n o f t h e C P I between a moderate p r o - S o v i e t wing and a m i l i t a n t pro-Chinese w i n g w a s t o i n c r e a s e g r e a t l y .

. .

- .

I
~

i
I

'.*

A.

The E f f e c t s of D e S t a l i n i z a t i o n

A t t h e f o u r t h C P I Congress, h e l d i n P a l g h a t from 1 9 t o 26 A p r i l 1956, t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e a t t a c k s on S t a l i n made a t t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress two months b e f o r e w a s a c e n t r a l i s s u e . Although t h e r e is no d i r e c t e v i d e n c e , c e r t a i n p a s s a g e s i n t h e s p e e c h made by Ghosh t o t h e I n d i a n c o n g r e s s s u g g e s t e d t h a t some o f h i s a u d i e n c e might have been a l r e a d y aware n o t o n l y

31

!
' :

I
I

--

of t h e p u b l i c c r i t i c i s m of S t a l i n made a t t h e 2 0 t h Congress, b u t a l s o o f a t least t h e g i s t of Khrushchev's secret i n d i c t ment of t h e f o r m e r d i c t a t o r . * Ghosh in h i s speech a l l u d e d t o t h e c o n s t e r n a t i o n s p r e a d i n g t h r o u g h o u t t h e CPI, acknowl e d g i n g t h a t "some of our comrades s a y t h a t t h e whole moral b a s i s on which t h e y s t o o d is shaken and there is n o t h i n g on which t o s t a n d . " H e s t r o v e t o c o u n t e r t h i s f e e l i n g by o f f e r i n g a mixed a p p r a i s a l of S t a l i n as an o u t s t a n d i n g leader who had made c e r t a i n m i s t a k e s toward t h e end of h i s l i f e , and by d e f e n d i n g S t a l i n ' s p a s t r o l e as "the i n t e r n a t i o n a l leader of t h e Communist movement" and t h e CPSU's r o l e as " t h e p a r t y a h i c h has acted as a model" for t h e movement. He i n d i c a t e d h i s own dismay a t t h e way d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n was b e i n g h a n d l e d by s a y i n g t h a t "many of us may be c r i t i c a l of t h e way in which c e r t a i n t h i n g s were done,"** b u t pleaded t h a t t h e p a r t y n o t t o g i v e way t o llcynicismrl r e g a r d i n g t h e USSR and t h e CPSU, i n s i s t i n g t h a t t h e S o v i e t p a r t y "remains t h e l e a d i n g p a r t y " of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement. But. Ghosh c i t e d q u e s t i o n s he s a i d w e r e b e i n g asked w i t h i n t h e CPI r e g a r d i n g what o t h e r S o v i e t leaders were doing d u r i n g " a l l these days" of t h e c u l t of t h e p e r s o n a l i t y , and what made it p o s s i b l e 'Ifor s u c h t h i n g s t o c o n t i n u e for s u c h a l o n g t i m e ; " f u r t h e r more, Ghosh acknowledged t h a t he had no s a t i s f a c t o r y answers t o g i v e t o these q u e s t i o n s , and t h a t "what r e p l i e s have been S i m i l a r dissatisfaction with given have n o t s a t i s f i e d me." S o v i e t a c t i o n s and answers was t o be e x p r e s s e d p u b l i c l y by Ghosh i n December 1961 i n t h e w a k e of t h e p u b l i c S o v i e t attacks on S t a l i n a t t h e 22nd CPSU Congress.
Subsequent r e p o r t s have s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h e S o v i e t attacks o n S t a l i n were p a r t i c u l a r l y d e v a s t a t i n g f o r I n d i a n Communists who were o l d - t i m e r s i n t h e p a r t y , and who had become adept a t r a t i o n a l i z i n g S t a l i n ' s s h o r t c o m i n g s and t h e repeated S o v i e t

' II
!

*The t e x t of t h e secret s p e e c h was not released by t h e U.S. S t a t e Department u n t i l 4 June.

**A s u b s e q u e n t CPI C e n t r a l Committee r e s o l u t i o n in J u l y 1956 warned t h a t a w h o l l y n e g a t i v e , "one-sided a p p r a i s a l " of S t a l i n ' s r o l e - " c a u s e s bewilderment among t h e masses and can be u t i l i z e d by enemies of Communism to c o n f u s e them,"

32

b e t r a y a l s of C P I i n t e r e s t s f o r S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y i n t e r e s t s . The elaborate r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n s e s t a b l i s h e d t h r o u g h t h e d e c a d e s o f S t a l i n ' s t e n u r e were now d e s t r o y e d . The o r g a n i z a t i o n a l rep o r t s u b m i t t e d t o t h e S i x t h CPI Congress i n 1 9 6 1 t e s t i f i e d t h a t t h e S o v i e t d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n campaign of 1956 c r e a t e d a "big shock" w i t h i n t h e " e n t i r e p a r t y , and "undermined t h e f a i t h of a l a r g e number of p a r t y m e m b e r s i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement As a r e s u l t , "ideas o f q u e s t i o n i n g " what had been a c c e p t e d as " u n q u e s t i o n a b l e t r u t h s became t h e o r d e r of t h e d a y ; " t h e s e newly-questioned t r u t h s i n c l u d e d " t h e need f o r t h e u n i t y of t h e p a r t y , d i s c i p l i n e , d e m o c r a t i c c e n t r a l i s m , a n d . . t h e s o l i d a r i t y of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement . I 1 While t h i s was a phenomenon which took p l a c e i n many Communist p a r t i e s i n 1956, it w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y marked i n t h e C P I because .of t h e p a r t y ' s p r e v i o u s h i s t o r y and because, as t h e 1 9 6 1 o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t n o t e d , d i s r e g a r d f o r d i s c i p l i n e had a l r e a d y become a widespread f a c t i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y before 1956. R e p o r t s in t h e summer of 1956 now s p o k e of "anarchy i n t h e p a r t y ; " h a r d l y a n y t h i n g w a s k e p t secret any more, and f a c t i o n leaders i n p a r t y h e a d q u a r t e r s d i s s e m i n a t e d a c o n s t a n t f l o w of rumors and propaganda among t h e i r f o l l o w e r s t o d i s c r e d i t t h e f a c t i o n a l o p p o s i t i o n o r t o i n f o r m t h e i r s u p p o r t e r s of d i s c u s s i o n s a t t h e t o p . T h i s CPI i n t e r n a l propaganda war was t o be of g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e d u r i n g t h e S i n o - S o v i e t polemic of 1960. S i m u l t a n e o u s l y , t h e p r e s t i g e of t h e Chinese p a r t y began t o grow t h r o u g h o u t t h e CPI as t h a t of t h e CPSU f e l l . F o r a t i m e , t h i s was e v e n t h e case w i t h s u c h a n o r m a l l y l o y a l S o v i e t a d h e r e n t a s Ghosh. I n h i s s p e e c h t o t h e P a l g h a t Congress, Ghosh p o i n t e d l y referred t o P e i p i n g ' s comment on d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n , t h e P e o p l e ' s D a i l y a r t i c l e "On t h e H i s t o r i c a l E x p e r i e x e of t h e D i c t a t o r s h i p m h e P r o l e t a r i a t (While r e n d e r i n g a g e n e r a l l y f a v o r a b l e judgment on S t a l i n ' s v i r t u e s and shortcomi n g s , t h i s a r t i c l e e x p l i c i t l y r e f e r r e d t o t h e errors i n p o l i c y i n t o which S t a l i n had l e d t h e CCP from 1927 t o 1936.) Ghosh d e c l a r e d t h a t t h i s a r t i c l e d e a l t w i t h t h e q u e s t i o n " i n a more s a t i s f a c t o r y and a more e l a b o r a t e way t h a n I have s e e n so f a r anywhere, If and recommended t h a t a l l p a r t y members read t h e v e r s i o n of t h e a r t i c l e r e p r i n t e d i n N e w Age. A r e s o l u t i o n of t h e P a l g h a t Congress s u b s e q u e n t l y c a l l e d on t h e C e n t r a l Committee t o make s u r e t h a t a l l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s had t h i s P e o p l e ' s D a i l y a r t i c l e f o r g u i d a n c e when d i s c u s s i n g t h e 2 0 t h Congress.

.
I

."

I
. '

33

,
t .

..

Hungarian R e v o l u t i o n and Nagy E x e c u t i o n : Within t h e r i g h t wing of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , disenchantment w i t h t h e CPSU w a s f u r t h e r e d by t h e S o v i e t s u p p r e s s i o n of t h e Hungarian R e v o l u t i o n i n November 1956. In an open l e t t e r p u b l i s h e d i n New Age on 18 November r e s p o n d i n g t o a s o c i a l i s t c h a l l e n g e t0-e-I on t h i s i s s u e , Ghosh d e f e n d e d t h e S o v i e t a c t i o n a p o l o g e t i c a l l y b u t admitted t h a t t h e p a r t y had been wrong i n t h e p a s t i n " i d e a l i z i n g t h e USSR" and i n n o t h a v i n g p a i d more a t k e n t i o n t o o t h e r p e o p l e ' s criticism of t h e S o v i e t Union. P r i o r t o a D e c e m b e r 1956 m e e t i n g of t h e c e n t r a l commitkee, one s t a f f u n i t i n CPI h e a d q u a r t e r s s u b m i t t e d a memorandum t o t h e p a r t y condemni n g S o v i e t p o l i c y i n Hungary, and a c l a s h on t h e s u b j e c t of Hungary r e p o r t e d l y occurred a t t h e c e n t r a l committee m e e t i n g . The December 1956 i s s u e of t h e CPI monthly j o u r n a l c o n t a i n e d a n a r t i c l e str0ngJ.y s u g g e s t i n g d i s a l l u s i o n m e n t w i t h p a r t y methods and a t t i t u d e s toward t r u t h stemming from t h e Hungarian e v e n t s , 'and t h e f o l l o w i n g August a " n i h i l i s t group" of secondl e v e l p a r t y leaders w i t h a s i m i l a r p o i n t of view was s a i d t o be p r e p a r i n g a r e b e l l i o u s r e p o r t on t h e " i m p l i c a t i o n s of Hungary" f o r c i r c u l a t i o n w i t h i n t h e p a r t y . F o l l o w i n g t h e e x e c u t i o n of Imre Nagy i n t h e summer of 1958 t h e r e w a s a s i m i l a r s t i r of d i s c o n t e n t , p a r t i c u l a r l y w i t h i n p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s which were p e c u l i a r l y s e n s i t i v e t o I n d i a n p u b l i c o p i n i o n . I n Bombay, where t h e C P I had an i m p o r t a n t a l l i a n c e w i t h non-Communist p a r t i e s t o p r o t e c t , t h e t r a d e union l e a d e r Dange made a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t c r i t i c a l of t h e e x e c u t i o n s ; and a similar s t a t e m e n t was i s s u e d on 30 June by t h e Kerala p a r t y , which was by t h e n s e e k i n g t o p r e s e r v e its r u l e i n t h e y p r o v i n c e . - I n g e n e r a l , w h i l e C P I o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e Hungarian and Nagy i n c i d e n t s t e n d e d t o be c o n c e n t r a t e d among s e c t i o n s of t h e p a r t y which opposed t h e l e f t i s t p o i n t of view--and which t h e r e f o r e c o u l d n o t u l t i m a t e l y g r a v i t a t e toward t h e CCP as P e i p i n g became i n c r e a s i n g l y m i l i t a n t - - t h e s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o a n t i - S o v i e t f e e l i n g w i t h i n t h e p a r t y nevert h e l e s s d i d add t o t h e g e n e r a l e r o s i o n of CPSU p r e s t i g e which began w i t h S t a l i n ' s d e a t h and was h a s t e n e d by t h e d e S t a l i n i z a t i o n campaign.
B e s i d e s t h e s t a t e m e n t s a l r e a d y c i t e d , t h e r e is c o n s i d e r a b l e e v i d e n c e t o document t h i s o v e r a l l d e c l i n e of CPSU s t a t u r e and t h e g r a d u a l compensatory rise i n C h i n e s e p r e s t i g e d u r i n g 1957 and 1958; u n t i l l a t e i n t h i s p e r i o d , t h e phemomenon w a s g e n e r a l t h r o u g h a l l f a c t i o n s of t h e p a r t y , and d i d n o t y e t r e p r e s e n t a p o l a r i z a t i o n of p u r e l y l e f t i s t CPI o p i n i o n a l o n g

' I

34

anti-CPSU and pro-CCP l i n e s . I n A p r i l 1957 a m e e t i n g of t h e West Bengal p r o v i n c i a l committee r e p o r t e d l y i g n o r e d a l e t t e r from a CPI p o l i t b u r o member s t r e s s i n g t h e l e a d i n g r o l e of t h e S o v i e t p a r t y , and r e s o l v e d t o " i n t e r p r e t and apply" MarxismLeninism a c c o r d i n g t o l o c a l c o n d i t i o n s and t o f o l l o w S o v i e t I n J u n e 1958, p o l i c i e s o n l y a s a g e n e r a l i d e o l o g i c a l beacon. a group of West Bengal CPI m e m b e r s s u b m i t t e d a l e t t e r t o p a r t y h e a d q u a r t e r s b i t t e r l y c o m p l a i n i n g of CPI s u b s e r v i e n c e t o t h e CPSU as d e m o n s t r a t e d b o t h by t h e p a r t y ' s f a i l u r e t o condemn the Nagg e x e c u t i o n and t h e CPI's a b r u p t w i t h d r a w a l of f r i e n d l y g r e e t i n g s t o Y u g o s l a v i a a f t e r t h e second b l o c break w i t h t h a t c o u n t r y . I n J u l y 1957, t h e p o l i t b u r o member Z. A. Ahmad declared t o f r i e n d s t h a t " t h e USSR is no model now," and t h a t t h e CPR was s u c h a model, if n o t a c o m p l e t e l y s a t i s f a c t o r y o n e . In August 1958, Mohit Sen, an i m p o r t a n t CPI c e n t r a l a p p a r a t u s f u n c t i o n a r y close t o Ghosh, declared t h a t Khrushchev d i d n o t have a g r e a t p e r s o n a l g r a s p of t h e " i r o n l a w s of h i s t o r y , " t h a t Mao, on t h e o t h e r hand, d i d , and t h a t t h i s Maoist i n s i g h t w a s p a r t l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e s u c c e s s of t h e Communist movement i n China. I n October 1957, a l o n g series of s p e a k e r s a t a closed m e e t i n g of t h e Bombay c i t y p a r t y committee, l e d by t h e Bombay p a r t y secretary, s t r o n g l y a t t a c k e d t h e USSR and t h e CPSU and t h e C P I ' s s u b s e r v i e n c e t o t h e CPSU. And i n August 1958, a v e t e r a n member of t h e Maharashtra p r o v i n c i a l committee claimed t h a t many members of t h e CPI had become h o s t i l e t o t h e CPSU s i n c e t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress, t h a t these members no l o n g e r c o n s i d e r e d t h e CPSU t h e leader o f t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement, and t h a t t h e y f e l t Mao had been t h e real world leader s i n c e S t a l i n ' s d e a t h ; t h i s view w a s s a i d t o d e r i v e p a r t l y from t h e f a c t t h a t t h e CCP, l i k e t h e CPI, was Asian, and p a r t l y from t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Chinese leaders had committed f e w e r b l u n d e r s t h a n t h o s e o f t h e CPSU.

..

. ., . .

B.

The E f f e c t s of t h e L i n e on P e a c e f u l T r a n s i t i o n t o S o c i a l i s m The second major shock t o t h e CPI f l o w i n g from t h e 2 0 t h

CPSU Congress was t h e S o v i e t f o r m a l e n u n c i a t i o n of d i c t a on t h e n o n - i n e v i t a b i l i t y of war and t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a peacef u l t r a n s i t i o n t o s o c i a l i s m , coupled w i t h t h e i n t i m a t i o n t h a t s i n c e it was v i t a l t o b l o c i n t e r e s t s t o m a i n t a i n I n d i a as a member of t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e "peace zone'' of neutral s t a t e s , I n d i a was one of t h e c o u n t r i e s i n which i t w a s m o s t u r g e n t

- 35 -

f o r t h e Communist p a r t y n o t t o a s s a u l t t h e r u l i n g n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e d i r e c t l y , b u t r a t h e r t o a t t e m p t t o work f o r powe r p e a c e f u l l y , : and p r i m a r i l y t h r o u g h p a r l i a m e n t a r y methods. T h i s S o v i e t l i n e does n o t a p p e a r t o have been f u l l y ant i c i p a t e d by t h e CPI; i n March, immediately a f t e r t h e CPSU c o n g r e s s , a l l c o p i e s of documents p r e v i o u s l y d i s t r i b u t e d w i t h i n t h e p a r t y i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e I n d i a n c o n g r e s s were rep o r t e d l y withdrawn f r o m c i r c u l a t i o n , and t h e same month a battle over a new r e s o l u t i o n i n c o r p o r a t i n g t h e new l i n e t o be p r e s e n t e d t o t h e c o n g r e s s was f o u g h t a t a c e n t r a l committee m e e t i n g between Ghosh and t h e l e f t i s t forces of Sundarayya* and Ranadive. This b a t t l e w a s resumed a t t h e A p r i l P a l g h a t Congress i t s e l f , where Ghosh c a u t i o u s l y e x p l a i n e d and defended t h e new S o v i e t t h e s i s a t some l e n g t h . E v e n t u a l l y t h e moderates won, and t h e c o n g r e s s adopted a l i n e c a l l i n g f o r def e n s e and s u p p o r t of a l l government a c t i o n s b o t h f o r e i g n and domestic which were deemed p r o g r e s s i v e , and c r i t i c i s m o n l y o f t h o s e p a r t i c u l a r a c t i o n s deemed r e a c t i o n a r y . The CPI proc l a i m e d i t s e l f now a p a r l i a m e n t a r y " P a r t y o f O p p o s i t i o n i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e p r e s e n t Government" which had t h e d u t y o f holding up t o t h e p e o p l e t h e p r o s p e c t of an " a l t e r n a t i v e government." In short,.the Indian p a r t y formally set out t o explore t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s of t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y r o a d t o socialism, w i t h o u t committing i t s e l f e x p l i c i t l y t o t h e view t h a t t h i s road would n e c e s s a r i l y p r o v e s u c c e s s f u l and t h a t a l l o t h e r p a t h s would be f o r e s e e n . T h i s much t h e CPSU w a s a b l e t o s e c u r e w i t h o u t an u n u s u a l degree of d i f f i c u l t y ; b u t when i n t h e summer of 1956 t h e Sov i e t p a r t y p u b l i s h e d a t w o - p a r t a r t i c l e i n a prominent propaganda o u t l e t , t h e j o u r n a l N e w Times, i n t i m a t i n g t h a t Nehru himself--given p r o p e r s u p p o r t by t h e CPI--would l e a d I n d i a t o s o c i a l i s m , a l l b u t t h e extreme r i g h t wigg of t h e CPI r e b e l l e d . The a r t i c l e , by Modeste R u b i n s t e i n , marked t h e g r e a t e s t e x t e n t

. .

*Sundarayya was a CPI m i l i t a n t who had s h a r e d a u t h o r i t y in t h e Andhra P r o v i n c i a l Committee w i t h Rajeswar Rao d u r i n g t h e Telengana d a y s ; by 1956, Rao had changed h i s views and s h i f t e d t o t h e r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n i n t h e p a r t y , so t h a t h e n c e f o r t h h e and Sundarayya l e d t w o g r o p p s c o n t e n d i n g f o r c o n t r o l i n t h e Andhra o r g a n i z a t i o n .

36

., ' .: i
''j

t o which t h e s o f t l i n e toward t h e Asian n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e had e v e r been carried by t h e CPSU. R u b i n s t e i n c i t e d w i t h o u t c o n t r a d i c t i o n and p r a i s e d t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h e v a r i o u s endorsements of 17soci^alism" f o r I n d i a by Nehru and t h e Congress p a r t y ; h e h a i l e d t h e growth o f s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m i n t h e I n d i a n economy as a " p r o g r e s s i v e " f a c t o r ( u n l i k e s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m i n t h e i m p e r i a l i s t West), and added t h a t t h e r o l e of I n d i a n s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m d i f f e r e d from t h e r o l e of s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m ' i n ; . t h e CPR o n l y i n t h a t it was b e i n g used " c o n s i s t e n t l y " t o build socialism by P e i p i n g ; h e c i t e d Lenin as s a y i n g t h a t state c a p i t a l i s m is a s t e p t o w a r d s socialism, and s u g g e s t e d t h a t o t h e r n e c e s s a r y s t e p s would come w i t h t h e growth o f t h e s t a t e sector of t h e economy u n d e r N e h r u ' s l e a d e r s h i p ; f i n a l l y , h e d e c l a r e d t h a t "given close c o o p e r a t i o n by a l l t h e p r o g r e s s i v e forces o f t h e c o u n t r y , t h e r e is t h e p o s s i b i l i t y f o r I n d i a t o d e v e l o p a l o n g s o c i a l i s t l i n e s , and t h a t a l t h o u g h IndiaOs "advance a l o p g t h e s o c i a l i s t p a t h " would be slower t h a n and would d i f f e r i n many r e s p e c t s from t h a t of *'say, China," o n l y dogmatists w o u l d object t o t h e s e p e c u l i a r i t i e s , which r e p r e s e n t e d one of t h e " m u l t i p l i c i t y of forms of s o c i a l i s t development.f1
This e s s e n t i a l l y r e v i s i o n i s t l i n e was v i o l e n t l y attacked by Ghosh i n an a r t i c l e i n t h e October 1956 i s s u e of t h e monthly N e w Age, where R u b i n s t e i n ' s a r t i c l e s were a l s o p r i n t e d f o r comparison. Ghosh t o o k umbrage a t t h e S o v i e t writer's f l a t s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e p e a c e f u l p a t h t o socialism "had been advoc a t e d f o r many y e a r s by J a w a h a r l a l Nehru," a t h i s whitewashing of a l l of t h e " r e a c t i o n a r y " s i d e of t h e I n d i a n g o v e r n m e n t * s p o l i c i e s , and p a r t i c u l a r l y a t R u b i n s t e i n ' s o m i s s i o n of a l l i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t and t h e Communist p a r t y must l e a d t h e way t o socialism. While t h e CPSU t h e r e u p o n retreated somewhat, and n e v e r a g a i n espoused R u b i n s t e i n ' s r i g h t i s t l i n e q u i t e so o p e n l y , it c o n t i n u e d t o e n j o i n CPI s u p p o r t f o r N e h r u ' s " p r o g r e s s i v e " p o l i c i e s and CPI r e l i a n c e p r i m a r i l y upon t h e p e a c e f u l and p a r l i a m e n t a r y p a t h t o power. Moreover, t o t h e p r e s e n t day Sov i e t j o u r n a l s ( u n l i k e t h o s e of P e i p i n g ) have c o n t i n u e d t o i n s i s t upon t h e " p r o g r e s s i v e " r o l e of s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m i n und e r d e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s s u c h as I n d i a ; and a t l e a s t u n t i l t h e Sino-Soviet p o l e m i c of 1960 f o r c e d Moscow t o h a r d e n its l i n e somewhat t o r e t a i n t h e s u p p o r t of t h e Communist movement, many S o v i e t s t a t e m e n t s c o n t i n u e d t o s u g g e s t ambiguously t h a t t h e " s o c i a l i s t " i n c l i n a t i o n s of t h e n a t i o n a l bourgeoisie of Asian

- 37

'

. ,

. .

countries--while

c e r t a i n l y not Marxist--nevertheless

should

be r e l i e d upon somehow t o f a c i l i t a t e t h e g r a d u a l s l i d e of

these countries into t h e bloc orbit.* Growing C h i n e s e O p p o s i t i o n : There is some e v i d e n c e t o i n d i c a t e t h a t as t h e S o v i e t view of t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r e e o i s i e

That same month--on 17 September 1 9 5 6 - - h a s t a s Mikoyan a d d r e s s e d t h e E i g h t h Congress of t h e CCP i n Pe5ping. In t h i s s p e e c h Mikoyan p a i d warm t r i b u t e t o t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y and t o " t h e d i s t i n g u i s h e d Marxist - L e n i n i s t M o Tse- t ung" as h a v i n g a made a "major c o n t r i b u t i o n t o M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t t h e o r y ; , . and h e declared t h a t t h e C h i n e s e had found " t h e i r own d i s t i n c t i v e new f o r m s and methods of b u i l d i n g s o c i a l i s m . " The major Marxist c o n t r i b u t i o n and t h e d i s t i n c t i v e new form which Mikoyan a c t u a l l y c i t e d , however, w a s t h e Chinese a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e and t h e Chinese e f f o r t t o move toward s o c i a l i s m t h r o u g h s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m . L a t e r in h i s s p e e c h , Mikoyan d e a l t a t l e n g t h w i t h Communist p o l i c y toward t h e und e r d e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s and t h e i r n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s r u l e r s ; h e quoted Lenin on t h e "new t r a n s i t i o n a l forms and waysq1 t h e s e c o u n t r i e s were s e e k i n g "to a v o i d t h e t o r m e n t s of c a p i t a l i s m , " and h e i n d i c a t e d i n p o l e m i c a l language what t h o s e forms s h o u l d be. Mikoyan d e c l a r e d t h a t "we must n o t o v e r look t h e f a c t " t h a t t h e c a p i t a l i s t world is n o t homogenous, and t h e underdeveloped c o u n t r i e s d i f f e r g r e a t l y from t h e i m p e r i a l i s t c o u n t r i e s ; and h e i n s i s t e d t h a t "we m u s t be aBle t o see" t h e d i f f e r e n c e between s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m i n I n d i a and

*For a d e t a i l e d d i s c u s s i o n of t h e s e S o v i e t s t a t e m e n t s , see p a g e s 44-60 of t h e FBIS Radio Propaganda R e p o r t RS.47 of 28 A p r i l 1961, " D i v e r g e n t S o v i e t and CPR V i e w s on t h e ' N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n Movement. 'I1

38

*
I

:
I

.,

- 39

.,
,

, .:
I

.. :.

ii

. .
I

'..

..

C.

F o r m a t i o n of t h e Kerala Government and Its A f t e r m a t h The r i g h t - w i n g f a c t i o n of t h e CPI f a v o r i n g p a r l i a m e n t a r y

t a c t i c s and a m o d e r a t e a p p r o a c h t o Nehru r e c e i v e d a mpjor windf a l l in A p r i l 1 9 5 7 when t h e Communist p a r t y was v i c t o r i o u s i n

t h e e l e c t i o n s i n Kerala and p r o c e e d e d t o form a government i n t h a t s t a t e - - t h e f i r s t t i m e in t h e h i s t o r y of t h e world Communist movement t h a t a Communist p a r t y had a c h i e v e d e v e n t h i s l i m i t e d d e g r e e of power t h r o u g h a p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n . T h i s e v e n t swung t h e c o n t r o l l i n g w e i g h t of opinion:within t h e CPI toward t h e m o d e r a t e s and k e p t it t h e r e f o r t h e n e x t t h r e e y e a r s . The Kerala e l e c t i o n a l s o c a u s e d a wide s t i r i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement, and i n J u l y 1957 a r e l i a b l e r e p o r t s t a t e d t h a t Namboodiripad, t h e new Communist c h i e f m i n i s t e r i n Kerala, had been asked by t h e CPSU t o f o r w a r d a full r e p o r t t o Moscow on t h e methods u s e d t o a t t a i n power under a b o u r g e o i s p a r l i a m e n t . While t h e f o l l o w i n g of t h e CPI l e f t f a c t i o n was f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g r e d u c e d by t h e Communist a d v e n t t o power i n Kerala, t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s of t h i s e v e n t o n l y f u r t h e r i n f u r i a t e d t h e d i e h a r d p a r t y m i l i t a n t s . R e p o r t s t h r o u g h o u t 1 9 5 7 t o l d of t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s Narnboodiripad w a s h a v i n g f n a t t e m p t i n g t o r e c o n c i l e t h e demands of t h e p a r t y extremists w i t h t h e need t o k e e p up a " d e m o c r a t i c " f a c a d e i n Kerala; t h e m i l i t a n t s wished him t o p u t t h r o u g h radical p a r t y measures r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e cons e q u e n c e s , w h e r e a s Namboodiripad w a s c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e need t o c o n v i n c e Nehru i n N e w D e l h i t h a t t h e Kerala r e g i m e would n o t o v e r s t e p c e r t a i n moderate l i m i t s and t h e r e f o r e s h o u l d n o t b e pushed o u t o f o f f i c e . (Thus i n O c t o b e r 1957 t h e p a r t y l e f t ists i n c o n t r o l of t h e Kerala p e a s a n t f e d e r a t i o n rejected a series o f m e a s u r e s on l a n d r e f o r m approved by t h e Communist m i n i s t r y , i n e a c h case demanding t h a t more r a d i c a l s t e p s b e t a k e n . ) Even o u t s i d e Kerala, t h e CPI found i t s e l f under unaccustomef2. new r e s t r i c t i o n s , s i n c e i t now c o u l d n o t a g i t a t e any i s s u e which might undermine t h e Kerala government i n i t s r e s t r a i n e d c o u r s e . The p a r t y c o u l d n o t , f o r example, demand
I

.-

'

40

n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n of i n d u s t r i e s wi'thout compensation, e x p r o p r iat i o n of f o r e i g n assets, o r o t h e r s t e p s which t h e Kerala government i t s e l f w a s u n w i l l i n g t o take.* November 1957 Moscow Meeting: The t e n s i o n s created i n
t h e p a r t y by t h i s s i t u a t i o n were m a n i f e s t e d a t D o l i t b u r o and - -

c e n t r a l committee m e e t i n g s hGld ' i n October i n p i e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist g a t h e r i n g i n Moscow t h e f o l l o w i n g month. The c e n t r a l committee c o n s i d e r e d a document p r e s e n t e d by Namboodiripad which e l e a r l y reflected t h e r i g h t i s t i n f l u e n c e s b r o u g h t t o bear on h i m by t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of o f f i c e . He espoused a " d e m o c r a t i c and s o c i a l i s t " p a t h t o s o c i a l i s m - - a p o l i c y " n a t i o n a l i n character and s o c i a l i s t in c o n t e n t . " He advocated m i l d criticism of t h e Nehru gavernment combined w i t h f u l l Communist c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s Five-Year P l a n programs. H e u r g e d Communist trade u n i o m t o c o o p e r a t e w i t h employers t o f i n d ways of i n c r e a s i n g factory p r o d u c t i v i t y , and even s u g g e s t e d t h a t workers' wages s h o u l d be i n c r e a s e d o n l y to a l i m i t e d e x t e n t "so as t o keep t h e wage b i l l below t o t a l o u t p u t so t h a t t h e s a v i n g s t h u s effected c o u l d be d i v e r t e d t o f i n a n c e t h e Plan."** The l e f t i s t s , l e d by t h e West B e n g a l i Bhupesh Gupta, of c o u r s e o b j e c t e d t o t h i s s t r e n u o u s l y ; t h e y a t t a c k e d t h e c o n c e p t of t h e " d e m o c r a t i c p a t h t o socialism," and argued t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y r o a d w a s e s s e n t i a l l y a nonM a r x i s t one which c o u l d be f o l l o w e d o n l y under e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y f a v o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s . The c e n t r a l committee reached no decis i o n , and a d e l e g a t i o n r e p r e s e n t i n g a l l f a c t i o n s was c h o s e n t o go t o t h e 4 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y c e l e b r a t i o n s i n Moscow.

I
4

*The Communist r e g i m e i n K e r a l a , i n its a n x i e t y t o b u i l d u p t h e s t a t e a s an I n d i a n showcase of Communist accomplishments, a c t u a l l y was o f f e r i n g s u b s t a n t i a l inducements t o some of t h e l a r g e s t and most c o n s e r v a t i v e I n d i a n i n d u s t r i a l i s t s t o bring capital i n t o the state.
* * A similar p r o p o s a l was i n c o r p o r a t e d in t h e r i g h t i s t d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n s u b m i t t e d t o t h e S i x t h CPI Congress i n A r p i l 1961, b u t w a s defeated by t h e l e f t i s t o p p o s i t i o n a t t h a t congress

41

,.

_. , ..,. ... . .

A t t h e Moscow m e e t i n g , t h e CPSU r e p o r t e d l y a d v i s e d t h e CPI and o t h e r p a r t i e s t h a t t h e y were now i n a p o s i t i o n t o win e l e c t i o n s , and s h o u l d promote t h e p r o g r e s s of s o c i a l i s m t h r o u g h p a r l i a m e n t a r y means. A t t h e same t i m e , t h e S o v i e t p a r t y is s a i d t o have u r g e d t h a t each p a r t y b u i l d up a s t r o n g underground a p p a r a t u s c a p a b l e of waging armed s t r u g g l e s h o u l d t h i s e v e r become n e c e s s a r y . Ghosh and a t l e a s t some o t h e r - m e m b e r s of h i s d e l e g a t i o n are b e l i e v e d t o have rejected t h i s demand as u n s u i t a b l e f o r t h e CPI, c i t i n g as r e a s o n s t h e f a i l u r e of a r m e d s t r u g g l e i n T e l e n g a n a , t h e f a c t t h a t t h e CPI had now comm i t t e d i t s e l f t o b u i l d i n g a mass p a r t y , t h e d i f f i c u l t y of m a i n t a i n i n g s e c r e c y i n s u c h a p a r t y under I n d i a n c o n d i t i o n s , and t h e f a c t t h a t p a r t y cadres were needed f o r p a r l i a m e n t a r y or mass work. The CPI d e l e g a t i o n f i n a l l y a g r e e d t o b u i l d d i r e c t c o n t a c t s w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n army f i r s t , and t h e n t o c o n s i d e r t h e a d v i s a b i l i t y of s e e k i n g a s t a n d b y a p p a r a t u s a g a i n s t t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of t h e need f o r armed s t r u g g l e .

i .

I '

,:

I n F e b r u a r y 1958, a n o f f i c i a l of t h e S o v i e t Embassy i n New D e l h i is r e p o r t e d t o have c o n t a c t e d C P I leaders t o renew t h e r e q u e s t t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y c o n s i d e r e s t a b l i s h i n g an underground o r g a n i z a t i o n . Ghosh r e p o r t e d l y a g a i n ref u s e d , b u t t h e l e f t i s t l e a d e r s Sundarayya and Basavapunniah of Andhra and S u r j i t of t h e P u n j a b p r i v a t e l y , d e c i d e d that Ghosh was t a k i n g a complacent and r e f o r m i s t l i n e , and r e s o l v e d t o t r y t o c o n t a c t t h e CPSU a g a i n o u t of p a r t y c h a n n e l s . Sundarayya went t o Moscow f o r a month i n A p r i l t o t r y t o promote t h e cause bf t h e underground a p p a r a t u s , b u t because of Ghosh's oppos it i o n , t h e l e f t i s t e f f o r t s were a p p a r e n t l y b l o c k e d f o r some time. On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e CPI d i d a p p a r e n t l y p r o c e e d t o i n t e n s i f y t h e r e c r u i t m e n t of a secret o r g a n i z a t i o n w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n armed f o r c e s . The C P I Amritsar Congress : What had a p p a r e n t l y happened was t h a t t h e CPSU by d i n t of c o n t i n u o u s p r e s s u r e upon t h e C P I o v e r a p e r i o d of s e v e r a l y e a r s , had f i n a l l y induced t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o a c c o m p l i s h a ponderous t u r n o v e r i n its t h i n k i n g - - a s h i f t from a c t u a l armed s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e Nehru government, first t o an a t t i t u d e of m i l i t a n t h o s t i l i t y p r e p a r i n g f o r an imminent r e s u m p t i o n of armed u p r i s i n g , t h e n t o g r u d g i n g p a r t i a l s u p p o r t o f Nehru and c a u t i o u s t e s t i n g of p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s , and t h e n t o s u p p o r t of Nehru on many i s s u e s and broad r e l i a n c e on p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s . Having wrought t h i s m a s s i v e c h a n g e , it was n o t s o e a s y f o r Moscow t o get the CPI s o o n t o i n t r o d u c e

42 . .. . , .
I S

__ __ _.

-.. -. .

. . .. _. . ..

. -. . .

i n t o t h e new l i n e an e l e m e n t f i r m l y a s s o c i a t e d in t h e minds of t h e I n d i a n l e a d e r s h i p w i t h t h e i r m i s t a k e n old l i n e . T h i s was p a r t i c u l a r l y t r u e s i n c e Moscow was f a r from w i s h i n g t h e CPI t o abandon p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s o r t h e moderate l i n e toward Nehru g e n e r a l l y . I n l a t e March 1958 I l y a Ehrenburg, i n New D e l h i f o r a World Peace C o u n c i l m e e t i n g , w a s r e p o r t e d t o have conveyed S o v i e t advice t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o c o n t i n u e t o s e e k a n alliance w i t h and c o n c i l i a t i o n of t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , and t o r e f r a i n f r o m p o s i n g e x c e s s i v e demands t o them now which might t e n d t o d r i v e them i n t o t h e Anglo-American camp. A t t h e F i f t h CPI Congress h e l d a t Amritsar a f e w weeks l a t e r , Ghosh t o o k s u c h a p o s i t i o n , p r o p o s i n g t h a t t h e CPI a l l y i t s e l f w i t h d e m o c r a t i c forces withi n t h e Congress p a r t y t o i s o l a t e and force t h e o u s t e r from p o s i t i o n s o f power of t h e r e a c t i o n a r y e l e m e n t s i n t h a t p a r t y . S e v e r a l r e p o r t s i n d i c a t e t h a t Ghosh was opposed a t t h e Amritsar Congress a g a i n by a c o a l i t i o n of l e f t i s t forces headed by t h e West Bengal and P u n j a b o r g a n i z a t i o n s , and l e d p e r s o n a l l y once more by Ranadive, who had been readmiteed t o t h e c e n t r a l committee i n 1956. I n h i s s p e e c h t o t h e c o n g r e s s , Ranadive is s a i d t o have opposed Ghosh's l i n e toward t h e n a t i o n a l bourgeoisie and t o have warned t h a t "when t h e s t r u g g l e e n t e r s t h e f i n a l s t a g e t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s and t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e w i l l u n i t e t o f i g h t against o u r party.'' In t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n adopcted by t h e c o n g r e s s , * Ghosh's l i n e o f c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h prog r e s s i v e f o r c e s w i t h i n t h e Congress p a r t y (meaning p r i n c i p a l l y
. ,.

I
I

*Aside from t h e p a s s i n g of t h i s r e s o l u t i o n , one o t h e r e v e n t of some s i g n i f i c a n c e o c c u r r e d a t t h e Amritsar c o n g r e s s : t h e p a r t y adopted a new c o n s t i t u t i o n i n which t h e o l d B o l s h e v i k names f o r p a r t y o r g a n s were r e p l a c e d b y names somewhat more c o n g e n i a l t o t h e I n d i a n s c e n e . Thus t h e p o l i t b u r o became t h e c e n t r a l s e c r e t a r i a t , and t h e c e n t r a l committee became t h e cent r a l e x e c u t i v e committee; i n a d d i t i o n , a new l a r g e p a r t y o r g a n --the n a t i o n a l council--was e s t a b l i s h e d a t a l e v e l between t h e c e n t r a l e x e c u t i v e committee and t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s . These and o t h e r changes f o r m a l i z e d and f u r t h e r encouraged a d e c e n t r a l i z a t i o n of a u t h o r i t y i n t h e p a r t y which had l o n g e x i s t e d i n p r a c t i c e b e c a u s e o f t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e p r o v i n c i a l committees and t h e weakness of t h e p a r t y c e n t e r .

- 43 -

__- .....__
..

._ .. . . . .

. .

. . .

..

. . .

..

"4, ..

..

. .

Nehru) was a c c e p t e d ; t h e CPI made it c l e a r , meanwhile, t h a t it would c o n t i n u e t o f i g h t t h e r e a c t i o n a r y s e c t i o n s of t h e Congress p a r t y i n t h e i r s t r o n g h o l d s i n t h e I n d i a n p r o v i n c e s . The CPI a l s o made its most o p t i m i s t i c f o r e c a s t t o d a t e on t h e c h a n c e s of its coming t o power by p e a c e f u l means; a l t h o u g h it s t i l l d i d n o t e x p l i c i t l y disavow v i o l e n c e , and termed t h e s u c c e s s of t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y r o a d o n l y a " p o s s i b i l i t y , t h e t o n e of t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n s t r o n g l y s u g g e s t e d t h a X ' t h i s w a s an e x c e l l e n t p o s s i b i l i t y . The i n f l u e n c e of t h e Kerala s u c cess was s t r o n g l y f e l t h e r e : t h e r e s o l u t i o n s a i d t h a t " t h e p r o c e s s begun i n Kerala c a n be carried f o r w a r d toward t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a l t e r n a t i v e d e m o c r a t i c governments i n some o t h e r S t a t e s , " and t h a t t h e Kerala v i c t o r y had g i v e n t h e p e o p l e "confidence" t h a t t h e Congress p a r t y c o u l d e v e n t u a l l y be def e a t e d and r e p l a c e d a l s o i n t h e c e n t e r . T h i s was t h e famoqs "Amritsar l i n e , " which w a s t o be b i t t e r l y d e b a t e d w i t h i n t h e p a r t y i n 1959 and 1960.
?*

L e f t i s t O p p o s i t i o n B e g i n s Turn Toward CCP: Throughout t h e l a t t e r h a l f of 1958 l e f t - f a c t i o n o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e Amritsar l i n e c o n t i n u e d t o grow. I n a speech before a m e e t i n g o f t h e Maharashtra P r o v i n c i a l C o u n c i l i n October 1958, Ranadive c r i t icized t h e Amritsar t h e s i s as r e v i s i o n i s t , r e f e r r e d t o t h e poss i b i l i t y of world war, and v i s u a l i z e d an "end t o democracy" i n I n d i a a f t e r Nehru's r e t i r e m e n t o r d e a t h , when t h e I n d i a n Army, he t h o u g h t , would t a k e o v e r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e c o u n t r y . A t about t h e same t i m e , I n d i a n j o u r n a l i s t s working f o r TASS i n N e w D e l h i r e p o r t e d t h a t Chinese embassy o f f i c i a l s there were m o s t unhappy a b o u t t h e " b a s i c l e a d e r s h i p of t h e CPI and had g r a v e d o u b t s of t h e f i d e l i t y t o Marxism of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y ; these C h i n e s e o f f i c i a l s were s a i d t o be p a r t i c u l a r l y unhappy a b o u t t h e Kerala experiment and its i n f l u e n c e on t h e CPI, and r e p o r t e d l y saw ''no hope i n t h e Nehru regime." These views were t o be r e i t e r a t e d t o CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y Ghosh by Mao and Chou p e r s o n a l l y d u r i n g Ghosh's v i s i t t o Peip i n g f o u r months l a t e r a f t e r t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress. I n view of t h i s t r e n d of t h o u g h t among t h e Chinese l e a d e r s h i p , CPI l e f t i s t s who had l o n g s i n c e become d i s i l l u s i o n e d w i t h t h e CPSU and who had l o n g d e e p l y r e s p e c t e d t h e CCP now began t o t u r n toward P e i p i n g for s u p p o r t in opposing t h e Amritsar l i n e . I n mid-November 1958, t h e Andhra l e f t i s t Basavapunniah w a s said t o have commented t o a c o l l e a g u e t h a t he w a s " f e d up" w i t h t h e S o v i e t s , and t h a t he b e l i e v e d , even more s t r o n g l y t h a n he had

44

-m

_ .

M n

f o r some t Z m e , t h a t t h e r e a l source of i n s p i r a t i o n f o r t h e CPI now was Communist China. Basavapunniah announced h i s i n t e n t i o n t o v i s i t t h e CPR immediately a f t e r a t t e n d i n g t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress i n J a n u a r y , and h e p l a n n e d t o t a l k t o C h i n e s e l e a d e r s "as a d i s c i p l e t a l k s t o h i s t e a c h e r . " * Temporary Hardening of S o v i e t L i n e Toward Nehru: A t about t h e same'time, i n t h e l a s t q u a r t e r of 1958, t h e r e a r s o o c c u r r e d a temporary s h i f t i n emphasis i n t h e S o v i e t l i n e toward Nehru. This w a s a p p a r e n t l y d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d t o e v e n t s i n Kerala, where t h e Communist government had come i n t o i n c r e a s i n g d i f f i c u l t i e s , p a r t l y as t h e r e s u l t o f its own imprudent a c t i o n s (such as t h e u s e o f its p o l i c e t o f i r e on h o s t i l e d e m o n s t r a t o r s ) , and . p a r t l y as t h e r e s u l t o f a c o n t i n u i n g campaign which t h e Congress p a r t y and its Kerala a l l i e s were waging t o u n s e a t t h e Communists. In e a r l y October t h e CPI c e n t r a l e x e c u t i v e comm i t t e e and n a t i o n a l c o u n c i l f o r t e n d a y s s e r i o u s l y d e b a t e d whether t h e Kerala government s h o u l d be o r d e r e d t o r e s i g n i n o r d e r t o e x t r i c a t e t h e p a r t y as a whole from its di1em.a. In t h e m i d s t o f t h e s e m e e t i n g s , however, an obscure Moscow p u b l i c a t i o n - - t h e newspaper Vodnyy T r a n s p o r t (Water T r a n s p o r t ) -b r o k e t h e t o t a l S o v i e t press s i l e n c e of Kerala t o r u n an "Observer" e d i t o r i a l d i s c u s s i n g t h e campaign of " p r o v o c a t i o n s " a g a i n s t t h e Kerala regime. T h i s e d i t o r i a l ended by d e c l a r i n g t h a t " i n s p i t e of a l l t h e t r i c k s and s l a n d e r , r e a c t i o n i n Kerala h a s n o t s u c c e e d e d i n c a u s i n g t h e Communists t o g i v e up t h e course of s e l f l e s s s e r v i c e t o t h e p e o p l e which t h e y have s e t f o r t h e m s e l v e s ; t h e s t r u g g l e i n Kerala h a s n o t y e t ended." It is d i f f i c u l t t o t h i n k o f any r e a s o n f o r a newspaper o f t h i s t y p e t o be a l o n e i n p u b l i s h i n g an e d i t o r i a l s u c h as t h i s e x c e p t as a discreet s i g n a l t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y n o t t o r e s i g n i n Kerala; and i n f a c t t h e C P I n a t i o n a l c o u n c i l s o d e c i d e d . The d i f f i c u l t i e s o f t h e Kerala government c o n t i n u e d , howe v e r , and i n mid-October; S o v i e t o f f i c i a l s i n New D e l h i , who r e p o r t e d l y had been v e r y happy when t h e Kerala regime was forme d , were s a i d t o be becoming i n c r e a s i n g l y p e s s i m i s t i c on its
!

f a c t , Basavapunniah was u n a b l e t o a t t e n d t h e S o v i e t Congress as a CPI d e l e g a t e , and is n o t b e l i e v e d t o have v i s i t e d China w i t h Ghosh i n F e b r u a r y . T h i s h a r d l y a f f e c t e d h i s v i e w s , however.

- *In

45

._

__. .

._.._.. .. ..

. ..

p r o s p e c t s . A t t h e e n d of October a j u n i o r - l e v e l S o v i e t embassy o f f i c i a l was r e p o r t e d t o be i n q u i r i n g whether t h e Xerala government was becoming u n p o p u l a r as a r e s u l t of t h e p o l i c e s h o o t i n g s there.

I n mid-December, t h e s p e a k e r a t a Moscow p u b l i c l e c t u r e r e f e r r e d t o a d r i f t t o t h e r i g h t and a loss o f p o p u l a r supp o r t by Nehru and t h e Copgress p a r t y ; he a l l u d e d t o c e r t a i n m i s t a k e n I n d i a n v o t e s a t t h e UN and t o c e r t a i n I n d i a n government I t d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h t h e s o c i a l i s t c o u n t r i e s , '' and h e c h a s t i s e d t h e n o n - s c i e n t i f i c n o t i o n of socialism Nehru had d e m o n s t r a t e d i n a r e c e n t a r t i c l e i n t h e I n d i a n Economic Review. The s p e a k e r s p o k e o f t h e CPI as a " l a r g e , open CoGunist p a r t y of growing s t r e n g t h , " and s t a t e d t h a t ''in Kerala, where t h e Communists are i n power, t h e y are d o i n g w e l l . ' ' T h a t same month an a r t i c l e i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist j o u r n a l Problems of Peace and Socialism by Pave1 Yudin, t h e S o v i e t a h b a s s a d o r t o t h e CPR, t o o k Nehru to t a s k f o r t h e s t a t e ments i n h i s Econolhic Review a r t i c l e a t t a c k i n g t h e Communists as d e v o t e e s of v i o l e n c m i n made it c l e a r t h a t ' t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e would be r e s p o n s i b l e f o r any Communist r e s o r t t o v i o l e n c e i f it r e f u s e d t o a l l o w power t o p a s s p e a c e f u l l y i n t o Communist hands. While t h i s a r t i c l e may have been p a r t l y i n t e n d e d t o p u t p r e s s u r e on t h e Nehru government t o p r e v e n t it from s w i n g i n g more d e c i s i v e l y toward t h e West, i t s p r i m a r y d e s i g n seems t o have been t o a t t e m p t t o induce N e h r u n o t t o d i s m i s s t h e Kerala M i n i s t r y , w h i l e i n f o r m i n g t h e CPI t h a t i t was p e r m i t t e d t o b u i l d up mass s t r u g g l e s a g a i n s t t h e Nehru government t o b o l s t e r its b a r g a i n i n g p o s i t i o n . A t t h e same t i m e , Yudin i n t i m a t e d t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d s u p p o r t N e h r u ' s "bourgeois s t a t e " a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l i s m , and t h u s i n d i c a t e d t h a t no permanent change i n l i n e w a s i n t e n d e d . Within t h e C P I , t h e Yudin a r t i c l e was c i r c u l a t e d among p a r t y u n i t s as a b a s i s f o r d i s c u s s i o n . Ranadivc and h i s f o l l o w e r s immediately seized upon it t r i u m p h a n t l y as j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h e i r p o s i t i o n , w h i l e s u c h moderates as Dange, J o s h i , and Namboodiripad c r i t i c i z e d it (Namboodiripad d i d so p u b l i c l y ) U n l i k e t h e CCP's h a r d e n i n g of l i n e toward Nehru, however, t h i s CPSU s h i f t a t t h e c l o s e of 1958 was t o p r o v e most t r a n s i t o r y , and by e a r l y t h e n e x t y e a r Moscow and P e i p i n g were a g a i n t a k i n g i n c r e a s i n g l y d i v e r g e n t l i n e s toward Nehru, w i t h s e r i o u s consequences f o r t h e Indian p a r t y .

. .

46

- ...

. . . .

. .

IV.

MOSCOW-PEIPING POLARIZATION OF CPI BEGINS:

1959

I n 1959 t h e CPI f o r t h e f i r s t time became g r a v e l y a f f e c t e d by t h e grQwing d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e S o v i e t and C h i n e s e . p o s t u r e s toward t h e " i m p e r i a l i s t " w o r l d , t h e i r a t t i t u d e s toward t h e r u l i n g n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e of underd e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s , and t h e i r views on t h e most a p p r o p r i a t e means of Communist a s s u m p t i o n of power. The gap between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP on e a c h of t h e s e i s s u e s , which had been a l t e r n a t e l y e x p a n d i n g and c o n t r a c t i n g i n p r e v i o u s y e a r s , s u d d e n l y widened g r e a t l y . T h i s w a s p a r t l y t h e res u l t of e v e n t s o v e r which n e i t h e r p a r t y had c o n t r o l : t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t , Nehru's d e c i s i o n t o o u s t t h e Communist government in Kerala, Washington's d e c i s i o n t o i n v i t e Khrus h c h e v t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . I t was a l s o , however, t h e r e s u l t of a c o n s c i o u s t u r n i n g t o t h e r i g h t by t h e CPSU and t o t h e l e f t by t h e CCP. On Moscow's s i d e , t h e r e was an a p p a r e n t d e c i s i o n t a k e n i n J a n u a r y 1959 t o abandon t h e s t r o n g er t o n e used toward Nehru i n t h e f a l l o f 1958 and t o b e a r w i t h t h i s b o u r g e o i s n a t i o n a l i s t leader f o r a c o n s i d e r a b l e d i s t a n c e : t h i s r e s u l t e d first i n peremptory CPSU r e t r a i n t of t h e CPI w i t h r e s p e c t t o Nehru's o u s t e r .of t h e Kerala government, and l a t e r i n t h e e a r n e s t S o v i e t e f f o r t t o c o n v i n c e Nehru of S o v i e t f r i e n d s h i p d u r i n g t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e . On t h e Chinese s i d e , t h e r e w a s i n s t e a d a hardeni n g of a t t i t u d e toward Nehru a t t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g of t h e y e a r , which h e l p e d t o d e t e r m i n e P e i p i n g ' s l a t e r r e s p o n s e t o e v e n t s i n K e r a l a and t o t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e . Khrushchev i n t h e f a l l of 1959 a d o p t e d t h e s o f t e s t l i n e toward t h e West g e n e r a l l y h e had e v e r ' p u b l i c l y v o i c e d , i n t h e aftermath of h i s v i s i t t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , w h i l e P e i p i n g grew i n c r e a s i n g l y s h r i l l i n its warnings a g a i n s t Western t r e a c h e r y and i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n of t h e S o v i e t l i n e . A g a i n s t t h i s background of i n c r e a s i n g l y d i v e r g e n t p o l i c i e s , t h e CCP i n 1959 f o r t h e first t i m e began t o t a k e a more a g g r e s s i v e a t t i t u d e toward promoting its v i e w p o i n t among s y m p a t h e t i c s e c t i o n s of t h e CPI.
A.

The 2 1 s t CPSU Congress

Ajoy Ghosh l e d a four-man, p r e d o m i n a n t l y moderate CPI d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress i n l a t e J a n u a r y ; two

47

. .

o t h e r CPI leaders--Ranadive and t h e West B e n g a l i J o l y Kaul-had been s c h e d u l e d t o go t o Moscow, b u t were d e n i e d p a s s p o r t s by t h e government of I n d i a , presumably b e c a u s e New D e l h i was a n x i o u s t o p r e v e n t t h e l e f t wing of t h e CPI from making d i r e c t c o n t a c t w i t h h i g h - r a n k i n g S o v i e t leaders. While i n Moscow, Ghosh had p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n s on C P I p o l i c y w i t h S u s l o v and p o s s i b l y o t h e r S o v i e t leaders, w h i l e Kerala Chief M i n i s t e r Namboodiripad, a n o t h e r m e m b e r of t h e d e l e g a t i o n , had p r o l o n g e d t a l k s with Mikoyan on poss i b i l i t i e s for t h e e x p a n s i o n of I n d i a n t r a d e t i e s w i t h t h e b l o c . On 9 F e b r u a r y , upon t h e close of t h e c o n g r e s s , Ghosh went t o PeSping, where he is r e p o r t e d t o have had t a l k s w i t h Mao and Chou. I n s u b s e q u e n t c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h other CPI leaders, and i n h i s report t o t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee i n l a t e F e b r u a r y , Ghosh d e p i c t e d t h e S o v i e t s and t h e Chinese as havi n g g i v e n h i m s i m i l a r a d v i c e on two p o i n t s . Both were s a i d t o be concerned w i t h t h e i n c r e a s i n g d a n g e r of r i g h t - w i n g m i l i t a r y coups i n t h e Middle E a s t and Asia, and w i t h t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of s u c h a coup t a k i n g p l a c e in I n d i a ; b o t h p a r t i e s were s a i d t o have i n s i s t e d t h a t t o meet t h i s t h r e a t t h e CPI m u s t d e v e l o p a s t a n d b y a p p a r a t u s c a p a b l e of armed r e s i s t a n c e , o r a t least t h e cadre of an underground p a r t y , while i n t e n s i f y i n g e f f o r t s t o penetrate the Indian m i l i t a r y f o r c e s . S u s l o v is a l s o r e p o r t e d t o have q u e s t i o n e d t h e ambiguous CPI a g r a r i a n p o l i c y ; w h i l e conceding t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y c o u l d n o t now take a l i n e a d v o c a t i n g c o f l e c t i v e and s t a t e farms, he s u g g e s t e d t h a t : i t emphasize volunt a r y c o o p e r a t i v e f a r m i n g . Mao: and Chou were s a i d t o have later concurred.

On one c e n t r a l p o i n t , however--the l i n e t o be t a k e n toward Nehru--a s h a r p d i v e r g e n c e between t h e S o v i e t and t h e C h i n e s e p o s i t i o n s w a s r e p o r t e d by Ghosh. H e found t h e Sov i e t s i n e a r l y F e b r u a r y a l m o s t a p o l o g e t i c about t h e Yudin a r t i c l e of December 1958--which had implied a f i r m a t t i t u d e toward Nehru--and u n w i l l i n g now t o e n d o r s e t h e a r t i c l e as a g u i d e t o CPI p o l i c y . I n s t e a d , t h e CPSU leaders were s a i d t o have s u g g e s t e d v a g u e l y t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d t a k e a p u b l i c p o s i t i o n agreeing w i t h Nehru whenever it c o u l d and o p p o s i n g him o n l y when it must--in o t h e r words, t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d emphasize areas of agreement w i t h Nehru and minimize areas of d i s a g r e e m e n t . The Chinese, on t h e o t h e r hand, were s a i d t o have e x p r e s s e d emphatic a p p r o v a l of t h e l i n e t a k e n i n t h e

40

I .

..

--

... -. - ... . ._

___

. ..

..

.. . . .

--

Yudin a r t i c l e , and t o h a v e urged t h a t it be v i g o r o u s l y f o l lowed up by t h e CPI, t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y s t o p mollycoddli n g Nehru. The CCP leaders were r e p o r t e d t o have condemned t h e " r e v i s i o n i s m " t h e y found rampant i n t h e CPI, e x e m p l i f i e d by t h e o p p o s i t i o n w i t h i n t h e p a r t y t o t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a s t r o n g underground a p p a r a t u s f o r armed a c t i o n . P e i p i n g is also s a i d t o have t o l d Ghosh t h a t t h e i n f l u e n c e of t h e Kerala CP--and t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y l i n e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h it-w a s " f a r t o o s t r o n g " upon t h e I n d i a n p a r t y as a whole. The p o s i t i o n s h e r e a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e S o v i e t and C h i n e s e p a r t i e s i n F e b r u a r y 1959 are c o m p l e t e l y c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e way e a c h reacted t o e v e n t s l a t e r i n t h e y e a r . Moreover, good e v i d e n c e e x i s t s on t h e S o v i e t side t o c o n f i r m a m o d i f i c a t i o n i n t h e S o v i e t l i n e o n Nehru a t , t h e b e g i n n i n g o f 1959. On 20 F e b r u a r y , two weeks a f t e r t h e c l o s e o f t h e CPSU c o n g r e s s , i n a p u b l i c l e c t u r e on t h e C P I i n Moscow t h e s p e a k e r s e v e r e l y condemned t h e l e f t i s t mistakes made by t h e I n d i a n p a r t y i n t h e i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y Ranadive p e r i o d ; warmly p r a i s e d t h e gradua l i s t program of t h e Amritsar Congress a t g r e a t l e n g t h , h a i l i n g Ghosh and Namboodiripad as t h e a r c h i t e c t s of t h a t program; d e c l a r e d t h a t it w a s o n l y " s i n c e t h e Amritsar Congress" t h a t t h e C P I had become a " t r u l y mass p a r t y ; " and e x p r e s s e d t h e view t h a t C P I p a r l i a m e n t a r y m a j o r i t i e s s i m i l a r t o t h a t i n Kerala were soon t o be e x p e c t e d i n West Bengal and Andhra. Most n o t a b l y , t h e l e c t u r e r w a s e v a s i v e and noncommital i n r e s p o n d i n g t o a q u e s t i o n from t h e f l o o r on t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e Yudin a r t i c l e - - i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e f o r t h r i g h t c r i t i c i s m o f Nehru e x p r e s s e d i n a s i m i l a r Moscow lecture i n mid-December 1958. S i n c e t h e s e l e c t u r e s are o r g a n i z e d by a " s o c i e t y " s u p e r v i s e d c l o s e l y (and p a r t i c u l a r l y s o i n Moscow) by a s e c t i o n o f t h e CPSU C e n t r a l Committee, it is l i k e l y t h a t t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between them r e f l e c t e d a r e a l s h i f t i n p a r t y pol icy One r e s u l t of t h i s d i v e r g e n c e between t h e S o v i e t and Chin e s e l i n e s on Nehru i n e a r l y 1959 w a s t o i n t e n s i f y f a c t i o n a l d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h i n t h e C P I and w h i l e n o t y e t j e o p a r d i z i n g CPSU c o n t r o l of t h e CPI, t o make some of t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n leaders i n c r e a s i n g l y aware t h a t P e i p i n g w a s a more r e l i a b l e bulwark f o r t h e i r p o s i t i o n t h a n Moscow. One r e p o r t i n March s t a t e d t h a t t h e p a r t y l e f t i s t s , overjoyed a t t h e o r i g i n a l a p p e a r a n c e o f t h e Yudin a r t i c l e , were c o n t i n u i n g t o r e l y on it as v i n d i c a t i o n f o r t h e i r s t a n d a g a i n s t t h e Amritsar t h e s i s , whereas t h e moderates l e d by Ghosh were opposed t o t h e l i n e

I .

49

t a k e n by Yudin i n p a r t because t h e y knew t h a t Yudin's formul a t i o n s "did n o t e n j o y t h e d e c i s i v e b l e s s i n g s of Moscow. The l e f t i s t Basavapumfkth, who had i n t h e p a s t a l r e a d y shown s i g n s of p r i v a t e d i s e n c h a n t m e n t w i t h t h e CPSU and e n t h u s i a s m f o r t h e CCP, complained t o a f r i e n d i n mid-February t h a t t h e compliments p a i d Nehru i n t h e p u b l i s h e d s p e e c h e s a t t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress were " i l l - a d v i s e d and u n f o r t u n a t e , because t h e s e " g r a t u i t o u s compliments" would undo much of t h e good Basavapunriiah t h o u g h t had been done by t h e Yudin a r t i c l e . (Basavapunrilah w a s h e r e a l l u d i n g t o t h e s p e e c h of g h r u s h c h e v , who h a i l e d Nehru and h i s government i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e c o m p l e t i o n of t h e B h i l a i s t e e l p l a n t , and p a r t i c u l a r l y t o t h a t of Mukhitdinov, who gave t h e " p r o g r e s s i v e f o r c e s of India"--the Communist p a r t y - - o n l y s e c o n d a r y c r e d i t f o r I n d i a ' s economic and f o r e i g n p o l i c y achievements, g i v i n g p r i m a r y c r e d i t t o " t h e f a r s i g h t e d p o l i c y of t h e o u t s t a n d i n g statesman of t h e E a s t , P r i m e M i n i s t e r J a w a h a r l a l Nehru.") Basavapuxxiiah went on t o regret t h a t d u r i n g Ghosh's v i s i t t o P e i p i n g t h e Chinese had been u n a b l e t o t a l k h i m o u t of h i s s o f t p o l i c y toward N e h r u , and lamented t h a t " p e r h a p s it is $00 much t o hope for" t h a t t h e Chinese c o u l d '!put some sense i n t o Ghosh's head." Although there is l i t t l e e v i d e n c e t o d e t e r m i n e why Moscow s o f t e n e d its l i n e on N e h r u once more i n J a n u a r y 1959, it is p o s s i b l e t h a t t h i s d e c i s i o n was connected w i t h t h e decis i o n s o f t h e Nagpur m e e t i n g o f t h e I n d i a n Congress P a r t y i n t h a t month, when t h e l e f t wing o f t h e p a r t y backed by Nehru pushed t h r o u g h a s t r o n g l y worded r e s o l u t i o n s u p p o r t i n g l a n d ( B a s a v a p u m h i n February expressed t h e fear t h a t reform. t h e r e s u l t s o f t h i s Congress P a r t y meeting w o u l d i n d u c e I t also a p p e a r s p o s s i b l e , howGhosh t o swing t o t h e r i g h t . ) e v e r , t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n t o relax p r e s s u r e on Nehru was i n some way related t o a b r o a d e r CPSU d e c i s i o n t a k e n a t t h i s t i m e t o pursue more a c t i v e l y t h e " p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e " s t r a t e g y a g a i n s t t h e Western world; t h e first c o n c r e t e manif e s t a t i o n of s u c h a broad d e c i s i o n w a s Mikoyan's s e l f - i n v i t e d e x p l o r a t o r y t r i p t o t h e United S t a t e s i n e a r l y January, and t h e second was Khrushchev's e n u n c i a t i o n , a t t h e end of t h a t month, of t h e 2 1 s t Congress t h e s i s t h a t wars, besides n o t b e i n g i n e v i t a b l e , c o u l d even be e l i m i n a t e d from t h e l i f e of s o c i e t y w h i l e c a p i t a l i s m r e m a i n s .

I
1
I

..

j
I

. .

I
_ I

50

. .

B.

The F a l l o f t h e Kerala Government ( J a n u a r y - J u l y 1959) The u n s u c c e s s f u l e f f o r t s s a i d t o have been made by t h e

CCP leaders i n F e b r u a r y t o d i s s u a d e Ghosh from f o l l o w i n g t h e

moderate l i n e f u r n i s h e d him i n Moscow c o n s t i t u t e t h e f i r s t example of s u c h d i r e c t C h i n e s e i n t e r f e r e n c e i n S o v i e t d i r e c t i o n of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y e v e r r e p o r t e d . * I t is c r e d i b l e t h a t P e i p i n g s h o u l d have begun s u c h e f f o r t s a t t h i s t i m e , s i n c e it was p r e c i s e l y i n t h i s p e r i o d f o l l o w i n g t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Cong r e s s t h a t t h e CCP is icnown t o have begun s t r e n u o u s a t t e m p t s t o s t r e n g t h e n its i n f l u e n c e t h r o u g h o u t t h e world Communist movement. I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e I n d i a n s , p a r t y leaders from L a t i n America, J a p a n , I n d o n e s i a , and even I t a l y are known t o have c o n s u l t e d w i t h t h e CCP i n P e i p i n g i n t h e s p r i n g of 1959. The I t a l i a n s - - t h e first d e l e g a t i o n o f I t a l i a n Communists .ever t o come s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r an exchange of views w i t h t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y - - a r r i v e d i n P e i p i n g i n A p r i l and remained f o r May Day; a c c o r d i n g t o one unconfirmed r e p o r t , t h e y were t o l d by Mao Tse-tung o f h i s d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o win Moscow's r e c o g n i t i o n of a s p e c i a l r o l e f o r China i n f l i n g t h e " s t r u g g l e " of t h e Asian p e o p l e s . As h a s b e e n n o t e d , t h e S o v i e t s were r e l i a b l y r e p o r t e d t o have ascribed s u c h i n t e n t i o n s t o Mao as e a r l y a s September 1956; and a t h i r d r e p o r t w a s t o d e p i c t M o as a h i n t i n g a t t h e same p o i n t t o Ghosh i n O c t o b e r 1959.
I t s h o u l d be n o t e d , however, t h a t t h e r e is no a v a i l a b l e e v i d e n c e t h a t as of t h e s p r i n g of 1959 t h e CCP had y e t at-. tempted t o b y p a s s t h e CPI c e n t r a l , p r o - S o v i e t Ghosh leaders h i p and t o e s t a b l i s h d i r e c t l i n k s w i t h l e f t - f a c t i o n e l e m e n t s s y m p a t h e t i c t o P e i p i n g ' s v i e w p o i n t . T h i s w a s t o happen i n t h e f a l l of 1959, as t h e r e s u l t o f a c o n t i n u e d p o l a r i z a t i o n of t h e CPI and a growing e s t r a n g e m e n t between t h e Ghosh leade r s h i p and P e i p i n g .

*There is no e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e Andhra p a r t y ' s c i t a t i o n of Chinese a u t h o r i t y i n preference to S o v i e t a u t h o r i t y i n i t s b a t t l e a g a i n s t Ranadive i n 1948 w a s prompted by d i r e c t cont a c t s w i t h t h e CCP; and t h e a d v i c e which t h e CCP d i d g i v e t o C P I l e a d e r s a t t h e Chinese E i g h t h P a r t y Congress i n 1956 w a s n o t i n open c o n f l i c t w i t h a known S o v i e t l i n e .

51

___ -

-.

._...... . ._ .. . -. ..- . . .

__

I n t h e meantime, l e f t - f a c t i o n I n d i a n Communist leaders had begun t o p u r s u e more a g g r e s s i v e l y p o l i c i e s i n d e p e n d e n t

of Chinese g u i d a n c e b u t p a r a l l e l t o Chinese a t t i t u d e s . As t h e Communist p o s i t i o n i n Kerala grew more p r e c a r i o u s i n t h e first months of 1959, Ranadive t o o k t h e o f f e n s i v e : a t a CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t m e e t i n g i n New D e l h i b e f o r e t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress, he u r g e d a r a d i c a l r e v i e w of C P I p o l i c y , argui n g t h a t a Communist government i n an isolated p r o v i n c e s u c h as Eerala would always be i n t r o u b l e u n l e s s t h e p a r t y l e f t t h e d e f e n s i v e and a d o p t e d a n a g g r e s s i v e program of a c t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y s a b o t a g i n g t h e working of t h e Congress government. No d e c i s i o n w a s t a k e n by t h e Secretariat, and Ranadive's l i n e was a p p a r e n t l y rejected i n t h e Moscow c o n s u l t a t i o n s . On 1 2 March, Ranadive wrote a l e t t e r t o Ghosh r e i t e r a t i n g h i s v i e w s ; he warned t h a t Kerala would b e t h e g r a v e y a r d of t h e CPI u n l e s s t h e needs of t h e p a r t y were g i v e n p r i o r i t y o v e r t h e desire of t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y government i n Kerala t o remain i n o f f i c e , and recommended t h a t i f t h e Kerala regime were t h r e a t e n e d w i t h o u s t e r by an o p p o s i t i o n combination, t h e p a r t y s h o u l d r e t a l i a t e by p o s i n g a n a t i o n wide t h r e a t of u p h e a v a l . T h i s l i n e w a s a g a i n advanced by Ranadive and other l e f t i s t s a t a C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee i n May, where t h e l e f t f a c t i o n s e v e r e l y attacked t h e report on Eerala d e l i v e r e d by Namboodiripad.

. .

..

j I
,
I

,.

As t h e campaign of t h e Kerala o p p o s i t i o n t o o u s t t h e Communist government grew s t r o n g e r i n J u n e and J u l y , and it began t o a p p e a r more l i k e l y t h a t Nehru would e v e n t u a l l y y i e l d t o e n t r e a t i e s t o s u s p e n d t h e Kerala government, recriminat i o n s began t o m u l t i p l y w i t h i n t h e C P I , a i t b leftist -positions g a i n i n g as t h e s i t u a t i o n worsened. I n e a r l y J u l y , Namboodiripad and Kerala p a r t y s e c r e t a r y Nair h e l d n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h Nehru o v e r a Kerala s e t t l e m e n t ; t h e I n d i a n Prime M i n i s t e r demanded new e l e c t i o n s and Communist a c c e p t a n c e of a c o a l i t i o n caretaker government w i t h t h e o p p o s i t i o n i n c l u d e d u n t i l t h e e l e c t i o n s were h e l d . A d r a f t agreement a l o n g these l i n e s w a s s u b m i t t e d by Namboodiripad t o a N a t i o n a l Council m e e t i n g i n mid-July, which rejected i t , i n p a r t because N a i r m a i n t a i n e d t h a t t h e CPI p r o b a b l y c o u l d n o t win new e l e c t i o n s a t t h i s i t i m e i n Kerala, a n d w o u l d be better off e x p l o i t i n g t h e martyrdom of o u t r i g h t removal by t h e c e n t r a l government. Having k i l l e d Namboodiripad's agreement w i t h Nehru: t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l gave c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o t h e t a c t i c s t o be adopted i n t h e l i k e l y e v e n t of t h e d i s m i s s a l of t h e Kerala government. According

52

. .

t o one r e p o r t , w h i l e no one o p e n l y demanded t h e e x p l i c i t p u b l i c r e p u d i a t i o n of t h e Amritsar t h e s i s , many of t h e speakers--and n o t o n l y t h e l e f t i s t s - - t h o u g h t t h e p a r t y would have t o c o n s i d e r s e r i o u s l y whether it c o u l d c o n t i n u e t o r e l y upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s . The l e f t i s t Sundarayya s a i d t h a t t h e p a r t y had been d r i f t i n g t o t h e r i g h t s i n c e t h e P a l g h a t Congress and s h o u l d n e v e r have committed i t s e l f t o any one d e f i n i t e method of s e e k i n g power. O t h e r l e f t i s t s a t t h i s t i m e r e a c t e d e v e n more s t r o n g l y ; a t a West Bengal p a r t y m e e t i n g l a t e in J u l y , o n e l e a d e r g l o o m i l y p r e d i c t e d t h e q u i c k a d v e n t of f a s c i s m , ? m i l i t a r y d e s p o t i s m , and attempted s u p p r e s s i o n o f t h e C P I . R i g h t i s t CPI leaders ass o c i a t e d w i t h : t h e c o n c i l i a t i o n of Nehru were somewhat more cautious in t h e i r reaction. A t t h e mid-July N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l meeting, t h e r i g h t i s t s Ahmed, J o s h i and Dange t h o u g h t t h e Congress P a r t y w a s k i l l i n g "democracy" i n Kerala, but nevert h e l e s s f e l t it would be good t a c t i c s f o r t h e p a r t y t o cdnt i n u e to kepeat p u b l i c l y t h e slogan of p e a c e f u l , p a r l i a m e n t a r y t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism. A s i m i l a r moderate q u a l i f i c a t i o n w a s r e p o r t e d t o have been i n s e r t e d by Ghosh i n t o a s p e e c h h e gave t o P a r t y H e a d q u a r t e r s U n i t i n N e w D e l h i on 27 J u l y ; t h i s p r i v a t e t a l k n e v e r t h e l e s s marked t h e f u r t h e s t swing t o t h e l e f t by Ghosh i n s e v e r a l y e a r s . Ghosh was r e p o r t e d t o have acknowledged t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y l i n e and t h e Amritsar t h e s i s were errors, and had been proved s o by Kerala; h e a d m i t t e d t h a t r e v i s i o n i s m and reformism had made g r a v e i n r o a d s i n t o t h e p a r t y , and t h a t h e h i m s e l f had f a l l e n p r e y t o them; n e v e r t h e l e s s , h e s a i d , t h e p a r t y must s t i l l a v o i d t h e d a n g e r of l e f t a d v e n t u r i s m , o f t a k i n g up arms and t h e r e b y l o s i n g t h e s u p p o r t of s y m p a t h e t i c "democratic" e l e m e n t s . T h e r e f o r e , he proposed t h a t t h e CPI c o n t i n u e t o s t a t e "outwardly" t h a t t h e Amritsar t h e s i s s t i l l a p p l i e d , w h i l e i n f a c t r e t u r n i n g t o its e a r l i e r a t t i t u d e of r e f u s i n g t o p l a c e f i r m r e l i a n c e on p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s .
A t t h i s p o i n t , w i t h t h e CPI i n t u r m o i l and extreme rea c t i o n s t o t h e Kerala e v e n t s by some of t h e more m i l i t a n t p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s a good p o s s i b i l i t y , a CPI l e a d e r r e t u r n e d t o N e w D e l h i from Moscow on 28 J u l y w i t h a CPSU l e t t e r f o r Ghosh. The l e t t e r was r e p o r t e d t o urge t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d n o t b r e a k t h e law, t h a t it s h o u l d t a k e no a c t i o n which c o u l d r e s u l t i n t h e s p r e a d i n g of " f a s c i s m , " t h a t i t s h o u l d n o t be provoked i n t o v i o l e n c e "but s h o u l d f o l l o w d e m o c r a t i c means and come t o power t h r o u g h o u t I n d i a s t a t e by s t a t e . ? ' The l e t t e r added, somewhat d e f e n s i v e l y ,

..
I I

.. ,
, .

53

t h a t t h e CPSU expects t h a t t h e CPI w i l l n o t d i f f e r from t h e CPSUs o p i n i o n when it j u d g e s t h e I n d i a n p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n /60th7 o b j e c t i v e l y and s u b j e c t i v e l y . T h a t same e v e n i n g a spec-ial S e c r e t a r i a t m e e t i n g w a s called t o d i s c u s s t h e l e t t e r , and decided t h a t t h e CPI would n o t abandon t h e Amritsar t h e s i s (at l e a s t p u b l i c l y ) , w o u l d n o t l a u n c h a v i o l e n t a n t i government movement, and would n o t b o y c o t t f u t u r e e l e c t i o n s . On 31 J u l y , three d a y s l a t e r , t h e I n d i a n government removed t h e Kerala Communist regime. The n e x t d a y , West Bengal s e c r e t a r y J y o t i Basu, h a v i n g r e t u r n e d t o C a l c u t t a from t h e New D e l h i m e e t i n g , called a special m e e t i n g of t h e West Bengal P r o v i n c i a l Committee t o h a l t p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r a g e n e r a l s t r i k e which had been p l a n n e d as r e t a l i a t i o n f o r t h e expected Kerala government o u s t e r , T h i s r e s p o n s e from t h e s t r o n g h o l d of t h e CPI m i l i t a n t s - - i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e d i s o b e d i e n t s t a n d .taken by t h e West Bengal p a r t y t h e f o l l o w i n g year--demonstrated t h a t i n mid-1959 t h e CPSU s t i l l r e t a i n e d t h e c a p a c i t y t o exert o p e r a t i o n a l c o n t r o l o v e r a l l s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y when n e c e s s a r y .
From 6 t o 8 August t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e t t o c o n s i d e r t h e new CPI s t r a t e g y i n t h e l i g h t of t h e l a t e s t S o v i e t i n s t r u c t i o n s . The l e f t i s t s Sundarayya, B a s a v a p u n n i a , Bhupesh Gupta and Ranadive u r g e d a r e v i e w and change of p a r t y p o l i c y ; Gupta a l s o p r o p o s e d a r e v i v a l of t h e CPI i l l e g a l app a r a t u s t o be r u n from t h e p a r t y s e c r e t a r i a t , c o m p l e t e l y i n s u l a t e d from t h e o v e r t p a r t y . Ghosh w a s r e p o r t e d t o h a v e p l e a d e d f o r p a t i e n c e and t h e d e f e r r i n g of G u p t a s p r o p o s a l u n t i l a f t e r t h e Kerala e l e c t i o n s s c h e d u l e d f o r t h e f a l l . A t t h i s t i m e , t h e Ranadive g r o u p was s a i d t o have r e s o l v e d p r i v a t e l y t o a t t e m p t t o d i s l o d g e t h e m o d e r a t e s from c o n t r o l of t h e C P I and t o secure f u l l abandonrnentof t h e Amritsar l i n e i f t h e CPI s h o u l d be d e f e a t e d i n t h e Kerala e l e c t i o n s ; meanw h i l e , no o v e r t a t t e m p t w a s t o be made t o displace Ghosh, s i n c e t h e l e f t i s t s r e a l i z e d t h a t MOSCOW~S endorsement of t h e i r program was a p r e r e q u i s i t e which c o u l d n o t be immediately s e c u r e d . Accordingly, f o l l o w i n g t h e l i n e t a k e n by Ghosh i n a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t on 2 August (when h e s t a t e d t h a t h e would n o t draw t h e g e n e r a l i n f e r e n c e from Kerala t h a t Nehru had ceased t o be a p r o g r e s s i v e f o r c e ) , t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g agreed n o t t o a t t a c k Nehru p u b l i c l y except o n t h e s p e c i f i c i s s u e of Kerala, l e s t s p e c u l a t i o n t h a t t h e Amritsar t h e s i s had b e e n abandoned be encouraged. A f a i r l y moderate p u b l i c r e s o l u t i o n on t h e Kerala o u s t e r w a s adopted,

54

.,....

..

_ .

and t h e m e e t i n g d e c i d e d t o s e n d Ghosh t o Moscow l a t e r i n t h e month t o a p p r a i s e Khrushchev of t h e d e t a i l s o ' the i n t e r v e n f t i o n i n Kerala. One of t h e p r i m a r y g o a l s s o u g h t by t h e C P I a f t e r t h e J u l y 1959 e v e n t s w a s t h e c u l t i v a t i o n of s w p a t h y o v e r t h e Kerala e v e n t s from b o t h t h e p u b l i c g e n e r a l l y and t h e l e f t wing of t h e Congress P a r t y i n p a r t i c u l a r . Ghosh p l a c e d hope i n t h e c o n s i d e r a b l e group of i n f l u e n t i a l Congressmen who d i d n o t approve of t h e Government's i n t e r v e n t i o n i n Kerala; t h i s g r o u p w a s c o u n t e d on t o b r i n g pressure o n Nehru t o s o f t e n h i s h o s t i l i t y toward t h e communist p a r t y . I n s e v e r a l of h i s s u b s e q u e n t c o m p l a i n t s a g a i n s t t h e CCP, Ghosh w a s t o claim t h a t t h i s C P I s t r a t e g y w a s working w e l l - t h a t a wave of p o p u l a r sympathy was a t t r a c t i n g mass supp o r t f o r t h e p a r t y , s p l i t t i n g t h e Congress P a r t y , and t u r n i n g t h e Kerala e v e n t s i n t o a p y r r h i c v i c t o r y f o r t h e react i o n a r i e s and a s t r a t e g i c g a i n f o r t h e Communists--when s u d d e n l y a l l t h i s w a s r u i n e d and t h e t i d e of p o p u l a r o p i n i o n t u r n e d a g a i n s t t h e p a r t y b y t h e o u t b r e a k of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e . While much of t h i s argument is p o l e m i c a l e x a g g e r a t i o n and r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n on Ghosh's p a r t , it does seem l i k e l y t h a t t h e C P I would have emerged from t h e Kerala c r i s i s w i t h c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i t t l e damage t o its n a t i o n a l base of p o p u l a r s u p p o r t had t h e border c o n f l i c t n o t i n t e r v e n e d .
C.

. .

The T i b e t a n R e v o l t

There is c o n s i d e r a b l e e v i d e n c e t o i n d i c a t e t h a t j u s t as t h e s u r f a c i n g of t h e Sino-Indian border d i s p u t e i n t h e f a l l o f 1959 had its o r i g i n i n e v e n t s connected w i t h t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t i n t h e s p r i n g , s o a l s o t h e emergence of p u b l i c SinoS o v i e t d i f f e r e n c e s i n l i n e o v e r t h e border i s s u e i n t h e f a l l was preceded by more s u b t l e d i f f e r e n c e s o v e r t h e T i b e t a n i s s u e months before. I n t h e b e g i n n i n g , t h i s was n o t s o : t h e t w o b l o c p a r t n e r s made an a p p a r e n t l y c o o r d i n a t e d i n i t i a l announcement of t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t on 28 March, and Moscow twice i n e a r l y A p r i l r e p e a t e d i n r a d i o commentaries P e i p i n g ' s claims t h a t Kalimpong, i n n o r t h e r n West Bengal, had been used as a b a s e f o r t h e T i b e t a n r e b e l s , d e s p i t e Nehru's p u b l i c d e n i a l of t h i s c h a r g e

55

..
I
I
I

mTD

.' .

on 30 March. S u b s e q u e n t l y , however, t h e USSR s u p p r e s s e d from its p u b l i c c o v e r a g e a l l s u c h c h a r g e s a g a i n s t I n d i a , and e x c i s e d h o s t i l e r e f e r e n c e s t o I n d i a from r e p o r t s on CPR a r t i c l e s o r s p e e c h e s c a r r i e d i n S o v i e t media. Moscow l i m i t e d t h e blame f o r t h e u p r i s i n g t o T i b e t a n r e a c t i o n a r i e s , Western i m p e r i a l ism,and Chiang Kai-shek. P e i p i n g , on t h e o t h e r hand, c o n t i n u e d t o r e p e a t its s t a t e m e n t s a b o u t Kalimpong, t o g e t h e r w i t h p u b l i c a t t a c k s a g a i n s t I n d i a n " r e a c t i o n a r i e s " and " e x p a n s i o n i s t s " for t h e i r sympathy and alleged a i d t o t h e r e b e l s . By l a t e A p r i l , a f t e r s t r o n g criticism of t h e CPR had b e e n v o i c e d by t h e I n d i a n p r e s s and i n t h e I n d i a n P a r l i a m e n t , P e i p i n g expanded its a t t a c k s i n t o a c o n c e r t e d m a s s campaign i n which t h e I n d i a n Government w a s r e p e a t e d l y i m p l i c a t e d i n t h e r e v o l t and i n t h e * * a b d u c t i o n " . o f t h e D a l a i Lama. P e r s o n a l denunciat i o n s of Nehru a t n a t i o n w i d e m a s s m e e t i n g s i n e a r l y May c u l minated i n a 6 May P e o p l e ' s D a i l y e d i t o r i a l a r t i c l e r e p r o v i n g Nehru's a t t i t u d e toward Tibet, renewing c h a r g e s of I n d i a n i n t e r f e r e n c e t h e r e , and s u g g e s t i n g t h a t Nehru, w h i l e o f t e n d i f f e r i n g w i t h t h e " i m p e r i a l i s t s , I t n e v e r t h e l e s s w a s also sometimes s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d in h i s p o l i c i e s by t h e I n d i a n " b i g b o u r g e o i s i e " t i e d t o i m p e r i a l i s m . T h i s a r t i c l e d i d , however, s i g n a l a momentary end t o CPR polemics on t h e issue..

I
.
I

,
.

I I

The CPI t h r o u g h o u t t h i s p e r i o d adopted a p u b l i c a t t i t u d e s t r o n g l y d e f e n d i n g P e i p i n g , b u t n o t u s u a l l y g o i n g beyond t h e l i m i t s of t h e S o v i e t t r e a t m e n t of Nehru. On 5 April--when t h e S o v i e t l i n e b l a c k i n g o u t a l l r e f e r e n c e s t o Kalimpong had n o t y e t been c l e a r l y e s t a b l i s h e d - - t h e weekly CPI o r g a n N ew A e g r a n an a r t i c l e u r g i n g an i n v e s t i g a t i o n of a c t i v i t i e s i n t h i s b o r d e r town, as w e l l as a CPI S e c r e t a r i a t r e s o l u t i o n s u g g e s t i n g t h e same p o i n t . The same i s s u e c a r r i e d t h e t e x t of ( t h e l e t ters r e l e a s e d by P e i p i n g t o p r o v e t h a t t h e Dalai Lama had been t a k e n t o I n d i a under duress, as w e l l as several o t h e r a r t i c l e s s t r o n g l y b a c k i n g t h e PLA a c t i o n i n T i b e t and denounci n g Western i m p e r i a l i s m ' s a t t e m p t t o s p l i t I n d i a and China. A f t e r t h i s - - i n l i n e w i t h t h e S o v i e t example--charges about Kalimpong are not known t o have been f e a t u r e d i n CPI media, b u t I n d i a n p a r t y o r g a n s and spokesmen c o n t i n u e d t o defend P e i p i n g , and t h e i r s t a t e m e n t s were r e g u l a r l y p i c k e d up by NCNA. The c l o s e s t approach t o d i r e c t c r i t i c i s m of N e h r u i n these s t a t e m e n t s a p p e a r e d i n an a r t i c l e by Ghosh i n e a r l y May, where Ghosh complained t h a t some of t h e Prime M i n i s t e r ' s s t a t e m e n t s were " h e a v i l y biased i n f a v o r of t h e r e b e l s , " and d e n i e d t h a t a l l of I n d i a ' s conduct d u r i n g t h e r e b e l l i o n had been unimpeachable o r t h a t "all t h e blame l i e s w i t h t h e C h i n e s e . "

--

I
. I .

I
I

56

.
'

. .

..

::

. ,

. ..

Along w i t h t h i s r a t h e r mixed d e f e n s e of P e i p i n g , Ghosh e x p r e s s ed p l e a s u r e t h a t Nehru had " i n d i g n a n t l y r e j e c t e d " t h e c r u d e

a t t e m p t s of t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s t o change I n d i a ' s i n d e p e n d e n t f o r e i g n p o l i c y . The C P I s e c r e t a r y showed g r e a t d e f e n s i v e n e s s o v e r Nehru's r e a c t i o n t o t h e Chinese c h a r g e of "expansionism, '' p r o f e s s i n g t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h i s c h a r g e had n o t been i n t e n d e d a g a i n s t Nehru o r t h e I n d i a n government, b u t o n l y a g a i n s t "cert a i n r e a c t i o n a r y circles i n India." I n l a t e r communications and c o n t a c t s w i t h C h i n e s e l e a d e r s b o t h i n 1959 and i n 1960, Ghosh is known t o have r e p e a t e d l y p r o t e s t e d a g a i n s t t h e unwisdom of t h e s e C h i n e s e i n t i m a t i o n s t h a t t h e I n d i a n government was " e x p a n s i o n i s t " and a g a i n s t t h e harm t h i s b r o u g h t t o t h e Communist c a u s e i n I n d i a .
Details are a v a i l a b l e on o n l y one r e p o r t e d m e e t i n g between r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e C P I and t h e CCP d u r i n g t h i s period of t h e Tibetan uprising. e a r l y i n A p r i l CPR ambz!ssaaor t o New U e l h i Pan T z u - l i r e q u e s e d a meeting w i t h Ranadive t o r e c e i v e information. on t h e att i t u d e toward t h e T i b e t a n s i t u a t i o n b e i n g t a k e n by b o t h t h e government o f I n d i a and t h e C P I . On r e c e i v i n g t h i s r e q u e s t , t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t a u t h o r i z e d Ranadive t o meet Pan, a l t h o u g h t h e CPI had p r e v i o u s l y d e s i g n a t e d J o s h i as t h e l i a i s o n man w i t h t h e C h i n e s e Embassy. P e i p i n g w a s t h u s n o t y e t a t t e m p t i n g t o b y p a s s c e n t r a l I n d i a n p a r t y c h a n n e l s , as it w a s t o do l a t e r i n c o n t a c t i n g l e f t - f a c t i o n leaders. Ranadive i n h i s t a l k r w i t h Pan is r e p o r t e d t o have o f f e r e d him t h e C P I ' s s u p p o r t on T i b e t , b u t t o h a v e k e p t w i t h i n t h e bounds of Sov i e t p o l i c y on t h i s i s s u e , a d v i s i n g Pan n o t t o a t t a c k N e h r u d i r e c t l y b u t t o c o n c e n t r a t e f i r e on t h e l e a d i n g r i g h t i s t a n t i Chinese leaders i n I n d i a . Although Ranadive t h e f o l l o w i n g month was t o write a n a r t i c l e implying t h a t t h e I n d i a n government was i n t e r v e n i n g i n C h i n e s e a f f a i r s by a l l o w i n g t h e D a l a i Lama t o o p e r a t e i n I n d i a , h i s l i n e toward Nehru w a s n e v e r t h e l e s s f a i r l y r e s t r a i n e d and d i d nbt n o t a b l y d e p a r t from t h a t used by o t h e r CPI l e a d e r s i n t h i s p e r i o d ; t h e CPI l e f t i s t s generally did not publicly take a l i n e sharply differentiated from t h a t of o t h e r p a r t y leaders on r e l a t i o n s w i t h C h i n a unt i l S o v i e t d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h P e i p i n g on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e came i n t o t h e open i n September.

i
i
.
. .
I

I
!

Although it h a s been r e p o r t e d t h a t R a n a d i v k ' s m e e t i n g w i t h Pan w a s t h e o n l y CPI c o n t a c t w i t h t h e CCP u n t i l August, t h e r e is some r e a s o n t o s u s p e c t t h a t t h i s w a s n o t s o , t h a t t h e C P I l e a d e r s h i p w a s i n communication w i t h C h i n e s e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s

57

,.I

.. . . ' . , . .. .,.

,,

.I

some t i m e i n May or June--perhaps a g a i n o r a l l y v i a t h e C h i n e s e Embassy--and t h a t t h e C P I a t t h i s t i m e urged P e i p i n g t o prop o s e a m e e t i n g between Nehru and Chou E n - l a i t o smooth o v e r S i n o - I n d i a n d i f f e r e n c e s o v e r t h e T i b e t a n e v e n t s . While t h e r e was no h i n t i n S o v i e t o r C P I w h i t e propaganda media d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d t h a t t h e CPSU w a s t h e n a n x i o u s f o r a Nehru-Chou m e e t i n g , t h i s was h a r d l y s u r p r i s i n g i n view of t h e exceecii n g l y delicate n a t u r e of t h e matter, s i n c e t h e CPR p u b l i c p o s i t i o n w a s t h a t e v e n t s i n T i b e t w e r e of no c o n c e r n whate v e r t o I n d i a . I n d i r e c t c o n f i r m a t i o n of s u c h a S o v i e t desire w a s , however, a v a i l a b l e f r o m a n o t h e r s o u r c e : t h e cond u c t of t h e I n d i a n weekly t a b l o i d B l i t z , which is n o t cont r o l l e d by t h e CPI (and h a s , indee-iticized t h e Indian p a r t y on o c c a s i o n ) , b u t which is thought, t o be p a r t l y s u b s i d i z e d by S o v i e t i n t e l l i g e n c e and which h a s many times shown itselx t o be more i n t i m a t e l y r e s p o n s i v e t o S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y aims and maneuvers t h a n Communist p a r t y o r g a n s . B l i t z began its c o v e r a g e of t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t , l i k e t h e C o m m t New A e g w i t h an a l m o s t i d e n t i c a l a r t i c l e complaining about the antiC h i n e s e i n t r i g u e s : i n Kalimpong, and s i m i l a r l y s o f t - p e d a l l e d t h i s p o i n t t h e r e a f t e r (though it d i d n o t d r o p it c o m p l e t e l y ) as t h e S o v i e t p r e s s f e l l s i l e n t about Kalimpong. B l i t z t h e r e upon c a r r i e d a r t i c l e s s u p p o r t i n g Sino-Indian f r i e n m and denouncing U.S. a t t e m p t s t o e x p l o i t t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t t o undermine Nehru 's "independent" f o r e i g n p o l i c y ; t h e s e a r t i c l e s were r e g u l a r l y c i t e d by NCNA, t h e Chinese News Agency. On 25 A p r i l , however, B l i t z a l s o p u b l i s h e d an open l e t t e r t o Chou E n - l a i u r g i n g t h e v e n i n g of a t r i p a r t i t e c o n f e r e n c e o f I n d i a , China and T i b e t o n an i n f o r m a l b a s i s t o assure t h e " c o n t i n u e d f r i e n d s h i p between I n d i a and China". Although a n NCNA d i s p a t c h t h e n e x t day termed t h i s a " n o n s e n s i c a l s u g g e s t i o n , " B l i t z reiterated it a week l a t e r , n o t i n g t h a t " t h e C h i n e s e w o u l d o t l i k e a m e e t i n g between I n d i a and China o v e r T i b e t " s i n c e P e i p i n g d o e s n o t " c o n s i d e r T i b e t an i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e , " b u t n e v e r t h e l e s s i n s i s t i n g t h a t " t h e r e are all-comp e l l i n g r e a s o n s f o r a m e e t i n g between I n d i a and China."
D.

The Border DisDute

I f t h e S o v i e t Union d i d i n d e e d t r y t o recommend a SinoI n d i a n m e e t i n g t o Peiping--however c a u t i o u s l y and i n d i r e c t l y - t h i s is l i k e l y o n l y t o have i n c r e a s e d CCP r e s e n t m e n t and subs e q u e n t Chinese i n t r a n s i g e n c e . I n t h e l i g h t of t h e a l m o s t

58 -

i
I

s i m u l t a n e o u s e v e n t s i n T i b e t and Kerala, S o v i e t p o l i c y a p p e a r e d t o P e i p i n g t o be growing i n c r e a s i n g l y c o n c i l a t o r y toward Nehru as t h e l a t t e r swung e v e r f u r t h e r toward t h e r i g h t ; t h e USSR seemed t o be a t t e m p t i n g t o buy o f f Nehru, a t t h e e x p e n s e of fundamental Communist i n t e r e s t s and C h i n e s e n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s T h i s S o v i e t l i n e of u n p r i n c i p l e d c o n c i l i a t i o n - - i n C h i n e s e eyes--was s u b s e q u e n t l y s e e n t o be e x t e n d e d t o t h e i m p e r i a l i s t world as a whole when Kh'rushchev's v i s i t t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s w a s announced i n August and accomplished i n September and as S o v i e t emphasis upon t h e need f o r "mutual c o n c e s s i o n s " mounted i n t h e e a r l y f a l l . Chinese propaganda w a s t o grow i n c r e a s i n g l y s h r i l l t h r o u g h o u t t h e f a l l i n d e n u n c i a t i o n of s u c h n a i v e a c c e p t a n c e o f i m p e r i a l i & t "peace g e s t u r e s . Therefore, w h i l e t h e i n i t i a l b o r d e r c l a s h e s w i t h I n d i a n t r o o p s may w e l l have been unpremediated i n P e i p i n g and t h e r e s u l t of a c t i o n s f o r which New D e l h i w a s p a r t l y r e s p o n s i b l e , s u b s e q u e n t CCP p o l i c y toward t h e border dispute--and e q u a l l y toward t h e CPI-was c e r t a i n l y s t r o n g l y c o n d i t i o n e d by t h e growing d i s p u t e w i t h t h e CPSU o v e r w o r l d - w i d e p o l i c y , as w e l l as by P e i p i n g ' s r i g i d c o n c e p t i o n of its n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t and its h a r d e n i n g a t t i t u d e toward Nehru. The j u x t a p o s i t i o n of s i g n i f i c a n t Chinese and I n d i a n f o r c e s o n t h e border i n many p l a c e s f o r t h e first t i m e seems t o have r e s u l t e d d i r e c t l y from t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t . On t h e Chinese s i d e , t h e r e was a d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o s e a l o f f t h e T i b e t a n - I n d i a n border, b o t h to p r e v e n t t h e f u r t h e r e s c a p e of T i b e t a n r e b e l s and t o c u t o f f t h a t a i d t o t h e r e b e l s which P e i p i n g b e l i e v e d w a s b e i n g f u r n i s h e d from t h e I n d i a n s i d e o f t h e b o r d e r . On t h e ;Indian s i d e , t h e alarm f e l t a t t h e e n t r y of much l a r g e r PLA f o r c e s i n t o T i b e t g e n e r a l l y and a t t h e C h i n e s e e f f o r t t o e s t a b l i s h a much s t r o n g e r p r e s e n c e t h a n e v e r b e f o r e i n border areas which had l o n g been i n d i s p u t e seem to have prompte d N e w D e l h i t o a t t e m p t t o b u i l d up an a p p r o p r i a t e c o u n t e r p r e s e n c e a l o n g t h e border. C l a s h e s began t o o c c u r b o t h a t t h e e a s t e r n and w e s t e r n e n d s of t h e f r o n t i e r i n l a t e J u l y and e a r l y August, i n each case as t h e r e s u l t o f C h i n e s e o f f e n s i v e a c t i o n t o e n f o r c e t h e i r c o n c e p t of t h e border. While t h e I n d i a n government c o n t i n u e d t o w i t h h o l d c o n f i r m a t i o n of t h e s e c l a s h e s u n t i l l a t e i n August, r u m o r s e a r l i e r began t o a p p e a r i n t h e I n d i a n p r e s s , and t h e b o r d e r problem became an o b j e c t of a n x i o u s c o n c e r n a t t h e CPI C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee meeti n g h e l d from 6 t o 8 August. t h e CEC t h e n decided t o a d d r e i s a l e t t e r t o t h e Chinese p a r on t h e whole q u e s t i o n of S i n o - I n d i a n r e l a t i o n s . S a i d t o have

59

,,
I .

.. ..

- - _. -_..

__ ...

..

been d r a f t e d j o i n t l y by Ghosh and Ranadive, t h e l e t t e r w a s d e l i v e r e d t o t h e C h i n e s e Embassy d u r i n g t h e second week of August. The l e t t e r r e p o r t e d l y d e s c r i b e d t h e e m o t i o n s a r o u s e d among t h e I n d i a n p o p u l a t i m o v e r t h e T i b e t a n i s s u e and o v e r t h e undemarcated S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n view of t h e Chinese r e f u s a l t o c l a r i f y t h e i r s t a n d on o l d e r Chinese maps c l a i m i n g areas regarded by I n d i a as b e l o n g i n g t o her. (Nehru had a l l u d e d t o these maps i n a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e i n t h e first week of August .) The l e t t e r is s a i d t o have d e p r e c a t e d t h e C h i n e s e i n d i s c r i m i n a t e u s e of t h e terms " I n d i a n i m p e r i a l i s t s " and " I n d i a n e x p a n s i o n i s t s l l , and t o have urged t h a t o n l y s p e c i f i c groups s u c h as t h e Praja Soc i a l i s t and Jan Sangh p a r t i e s be s i n g l e d o u t f o r a t t a c k (as Ranadive had s u g g e s t e d t o Ambassador Pan i n A p r i l ) . The l e t t e r r e g r e t t e d t h e C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e shown toward c e r t a i n I n d i a n f r o n t m e e t i n g s in r e c e n t months, s u c h as t h e A l l I n d i a n Conference for Afro-Asian S o l i d a r i t y i n C a l c u t t a i n A p r i l (when t h e C h i n e s e walked o u t from a d i s c u s s i o n of T i b e t ) and t h e 28 June Panch.. Sheel c e l e b r a t i o n s s p o n s o r e d by t h e A l l - I n d i a n P e a c e m n c i E d a t t e n d e d by many i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ( t h e i n v i t a t i o n t o which w a s i g n o r e d by P e i p i n g ) . F i n a l l y , t h e l e t t e r urged t h e CCP t o c o n t a c t t h e I n d i a n Ambassador i n P e i p i n g t o a r r a n g e a m e e t i n g between Nehru and Chou t o s e t t l e Sino-Indian d i f f e r e n c e s .
I t is posT h i s l e t t e r w a s n e v e r answered by t h e CCP. s i b l e t h a t it w a s f r o m t h i s p o i n t on t h a t P e i p i n g began t o c l a s s i f y Ghosh among t h e h o p e l e s s l y l o s t s o u l s a l o n g w i t h Nehru, and began t o c o n c e n t r a t e e f f o r t s on promoting i t s p o i n t of view among s y m p a t h e t i c p r o v i n c i a l CPI o r g a n i z a t i o n s s u c h as t h a t in West Bengal. R e p o r t s of s u c h Chinese e f f o r t s began t o a p p e a r d u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g months.

!
. I

In t h e meantime, r i g h t i s t - i n c l i n e d p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s , s u c h as t h e o n e i n Maharaatra, had begun t h e i r l o n g swing i n t h e o t h e r d i r e c t i o n ; t h e f i r s t s i g n of t h i s o c c u r r e d on 23 August, when Dange told t h e Maharashtra Prov i n c i a l E x e c u t i v e Committee i n Bombay t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d s t a t e openly t h a t t h e MacMahon l i n e is t h e v a l i d b o r d e r i n t h e east.
On 26 August, Ghosh d e p a r t e d on his v i s i t t o t h e USSR. On t h a t d a y and t h e day b e f o r e , Chinese t r o o p s had made t w o a d d i t i o n a l a t t a c k s on I n d i a n p o s t s in t h e e a s t e r n b o r d e r area

60

. !
.

. .

;.

( t h e N o r t h e a s t F r o n t i e r Agency).

On t h e 2 8 t h , Nehru f o r t h e

first t i m e made a s t a t e m e n t i n P a r l i a m e n t s u b s t a n t i a t i n g t h e
p r e s s r e p o r t s of s u c h C h i n e s e i n c u r s i o n s and armed c l a s h e s . This s t a t e m e n t inflamed Indian p u b l i c opinion; according t o a p r i v a t e comment t h a t d a y by t h e c h i e f o f t h e Communist I n d i a n Press Agency, it c o n f u s e d and s t a g g e r e d t h e (21. Duri n g t h e n e x t t w o d a y s t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , minus Ghosh, h e l d an emergency m e e t i n g on t h e problem, f o l l o w i n g which t h e p a r t y i s s u e d t h e first i n what w a s t o be a l o n g and v a r i e d series of s t a t e m e n t s on t h e b o r d e r , a vague d e c l a r a t i o n g l o s s i n g o v e r t h e q u e s t i o n of border v i o l a t i o n s , holdi n g (as t h e C h i n e s e were t o do) t h a t t h e e n t i r e b o r d e r h a s n e v e r been d e f i n e d , making no mention of t h e MacMahon l i n e , and u r g e n t l y c a l l i n g f o r n e g o t i a t i o n s . The C P I s u b s e q u e n t l y came under wide p u b l i c a t t a c k as a r e s u l t of its f a i l u r e i n t h i s s t a t e m e n t t o take a clear-cut s t a n d s u p p o r t i n g t h e Ind i a n government p o s i t i o n . September T a l k s i n Moscow and P e i p i n g : On 30 August, t h e I n d i a n Government is r e p o r t e d t o have asked i t s ambassador i n Moscow t o p r e s e n t I n d i a ' s case t o Khrushchev p e r s o n a l l y . By e a r l y September t h e r e were t h e r e f o r e t w o sets of Ind i a n s i n Moscow t r y i n g , f o r d i f f e r e n t r e a s o n s , t o get t h e S o v i e t s t o a p p l y p r e s s u r e on P e i p i n g : t h e I n d i a n Embassy, and CPI r e p r e s e n t a t i v e Ghosh. There is e v e r y i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e CPSU leaders, s e r i o u s l y d i s t u r b e d f o r s e v e r a l r e a s o n s by t h e e f f e c t s of t h e I n d i a n b o r d e r crisis, were p r e p a r e d t o . a p p l y s u c h p r e s s u r e t h r o u g h a v a r i e t y of c h a n n e l s . According t o one unconfirmed r e p o r t , a P o l i s h Deputy P r e m i e r t o l d Yugos l a v r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s i n Belgrade i n l a t e August t h a t t h e C h i n e s e a c t i o n on t h e b o r d e r had been n e i t h e r i n i t i a t e d n o r s u p p o r t e d by Moscow, and added t h a t Moscow was aware t h a t s p l i t s l o n g l a t e n t i n t h e C P I were b e i n g a g g r a v a t e d as a res u l t of t h e C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e . MOSCOW, claimed t h e P o l i s h o f f i c i a l , had informed the CPI t h a t it e n t i r e l y d i s a p p r o v e d of P e i p i n g ' s a c t i o n s , and t h i s CPSU comment l a s i t s e l f f u r t h e r i n t e n s i f y i n g C P I f a c t i o n a l i s m . While i t is b a r e l y p o s s i b l e t h a t such a message c o u l d have been d e l i v e r e d t o C P I headq u a r t e r s l a t e i n August, t h e r e is no c o n f i r m a t i o n of it from t h e I n d i a n s i d e ; more i m p o r t a n t , i t is d o u b t f u l f r o m subseque n t CPSU c o n d u c t t h a t it w o u l d have r i s k e d f u r t h e r exacerbat i o n of CPI f a c t i o n a l i s m in t h i s way. On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e r e is l i t t l e d o u b t t h a t t h e CPSU t o l d its t r u s t e d man Ghosh somet h i n g of t h d s s o r t i n Moscow. On 3 September Ghosh, a p p a r e n t l y

I I
I

61

a f t e r c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h CPSU leaders, s e n t t o P e i p i n g from MOSCOW a n o t h e r CPI l e t t e r a s k i n g t h e Chinese p a r t y a g a i n t o i n i t i a t e h i g h - l e v e l n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h I n d i a , and t o s h a p e its p o l i c y w i t h a view t o k e e p i n g I n d i a o u t of t h e i m p e r i a l ist camp. T h i s l e t t e r a l s o went unanswered. That same day a n o t e from P e i p i n g t o t h e I n d i a n government accused India o f " a g g r e s s i o n " a l o n g t h e b o r d e r and demanded withdrawal of I n d i a n t r o o p s from t h e d i s p u t e d areas. On t h e 6 t h , i n a b a n q u e t s p e e c h b e f o r e a v i s i t i n g Afghan o f f i c i a l i n P e i p i n g , Chou E n - l a i h i n t e d at a p o s s i b l e l i n k between Khrushchev's impending v i s i t t o t h e United S t a t e s and Chinese p o l i c y toward I n d i a . While " r e i t e r a t i n g t h e Chinese p e o p l e ' s welcome" t o t h e f o r t h c o m i n g Khrushchev-Eisenhower exchange o f - v i s i t s , Chou added t h a t llhowever, we cannot b u t n o t e t h a t t h e imp e r i a l i s t s are s t e p p i n g up t h e c r e a t i o n of t e n s i o n i n t h e F a r E a s t and sowing d i s c o r d i n r e l a t i o n s among t h e Asian and A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s , I' and concluded t h a t t h i s r e q u i r e d 'Ithe governments and p e o p l e s o f a l l Asian and A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s " t o c o n t i n u e t o m a n i f e s t " s h a r p v i g i l a n c e " - - i n o t h e r words, t o m a i n t a i n an u n d i m i n i s h e d m i l i t a n t p o s t u r e . (Emphasis added.)
On t h e morning of 6 September, Ghosh f l e w t o t h e C r i m e a , where Khrushchev was p r e p a r i n g f o r h i s t r i p t o t h e United S t a t e s , and remained t h e r e i n c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h Khrushchev f o r three d a y s . I a t one t i m e d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d Ghosl! a t t e n d e d a j o i n t m e e t i n g w i t h Khrushchev and some Chinese r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , a t which Khrushchev e x p r e s s e d h i s u n h a p p i n e s s o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f e v e n t s on t h e I n d i a n border and warned of t h e harmful e f f e c t s t h i s c o u l d have upon Asian n a t i o n a l i s m g e n e r a l l y . While t h i s i s unconfirmed, it is e n t i r e l y l i k e l y t h a t t h e CPSU w a s i n d i r e c t communication w i t h t h e CCP o v e r t h e b o r d e r s i t u a t i o n a t t h i s t i m e ; i f s o , t h e r e s u l t s f o r Moscow were u n s a t i s f a c t o r y . On 8 September, Chou E n - l a i d i s p a t c h e d a n o t h e r l e t t e r t o Nehru, p r o f e s s i n g w i l l i n g n e s s t o have t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e s u b j e c t e d t o n e g o t i a t i o n s , b u t making,no s p e c i f i c p r o p o s a l f o r a m e e t i n g w i t h Nehru. Chou r e i t e r a t e d a l l Chinese claims t o d i s p u t e d t e r r i t o r y , and s p e c i f i c a l l y r e j e c t e d t h e v a l i d i t y of t h e MacMahon l i n e i n t h e e a s t . He a l s o charged t h a t I n d i a n t r o o p s were g u i l t y of "armed a t t a c k s " on C h i n e s e f r o n t i e r o u t p o s t s . That same e v e n i n g , Ghosh r e t u r n e d t o Moscow, and t h e n e x t day t h e S o v i e t government i s s u e d a s p e c i a l TASS announcement d e p l o r i n g t h e c l a s h e s on t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r , u r g i n g a n e g o t i a t e d s e t t l e m e n t , and t a k i n g a c o n s p i c u o u s l y n e u t r a l s t a n d on t h e

62

merits of t h e c o n f l i c t i n g claims. I t seems l i k e l y t h a t t h i s announcement' was d e c i d e d on d u r i n g t h e Khrushchev-Ghosh t a l k s , and was f i n a l l y t r i g g e r e d by t h e u n y i e l d i n g s t a n d t a k e n by Chou i n h i s 8 September l e t t e r .
There is' abundant s u b s e q u e n t e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e 9 September TASS s t a t e m e n t was d e e p l y r e s e n t e d by t h e CCP, was reg a r d e d ( d e s p i t e its a i r of n e u t r a l i t y ) as h u m i l i a t i n g "open criticism" of t h e Chinese p a r t y by a p a t e r n a l i s t i c CPSU, and was t h o u g h t t o be a S o v i e t b e t r a y a l of an o b l i g a t i o n t o supp o r t a n o t h e r b l o c p a r t y f o r t h e s a k e of f u r t h e r u n p r i n c i p l e d c o n c i l i a t i o n of the I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e . T h i s e v e n t undoubte d l y added t o t h e a l r e a d y s t r o n g Chinese o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e l i n e now b e i n g t a k e n by t h e CPSU toward t h e West i n g e n e r a l , and c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e e v e n t u a l Chinese d e c i s i o n t o l a u n c h an open world-wide o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t t h a t l i n e i n A p r i l 1960.

During t h e p e r i o d s u r r o u n d i n g t h e i s s u a n c e of t h e TASS s t a t e m e n t Moscow t o o k f u r t h e r s t r o n g m e a s u r e s t o i m p r e s s upon t h e I n d i a n government and p u b l i c S o v i e t d i s s o c i a t i o n from t h e Chinese p o s i t i o n . A l l a v a i l a b l e means were a d o p t e d , i n c l u d i n g r e p e a t e d u s e o f d i p l o m a t i c c h a n n e l s i n Moscow and New D e l h i , of t h e s a t e l l i t e governments, and of l e a k s t o t h e Ind i a n p r e s s ; one I n d i a n d i p l o m a t spoke of t h e "almost o b s e q u i o u s " S o v i e t a t t i t u d e . On 1 2 September, s h o r t l y b e f o r e Khrushchev's d e p a r t u r e f o r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , h e r e p o r t e d l y spoke w i t h t h e I n d i a n Ambassador, r e i t e r a t i n g e a r l i e r p r o p o s a l s f o r a v i s i t by him t o I n d i a . That same d a y , a Khrushchev l e t t e r was del i v e r e d t o Nehru i n New D e l h i by Ambassador Benediktov, rep o r t e d l y a t t e m p t i n g t o minimize t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e , u r g i n g t h a t it be s e t t l e d by m u t u a l d i s c u s s i o n s , and i n t i m a t i n g t h a t Khrushchev would a t t e m p t t o u s e h i s p e r s o n a l i n f l u e n c e t o aid i n a s e t t l e m e n t . Meanwhile, b e f o r e he f l e w t o t h e Crimea, Ghosh i n Moscow had r e c e i v e d a message from t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t u r g i n g him t o v i s i t China a f t e r " c o n s u l t i n g w i t h t h e S o v i e t comrades," t o see Mao and L i u , t o i m p r e s s upon t h e m t h e d i r e consequences t h a t would f o l l o w f o r t h e CPI i f t h e b o r d e r c o n f l i c t were n o t . s o l v e d q u i c k l y , and t o u r g e t h e m t o t a k e t h e i n i t i a t i v e p e r s o n a l l y i n seeking a peaceful s e t t l e m e n t . This proposal must have r e c e i v e d K h r u s h c h e v ' s a p p r o v a l , s i n c e o n 9 September, on t h e morning a f t e r Ghosh's a r r i v a l back i n Moscow. Ghosh d e p a r t e d again f o r P e i p i n g . H e remained t h e r e f o u r ' d a y s , ret u r n i n g on t h e 1 3 t h once more t o Moscow t o r e p o r t t o t h e CPSU.

63

R e p o r t s d i f f e r as t o whether Ghosh was s e e n by Mao, L i u , Chou, o r Teng Hsiao-ping; most a c c o u n t s a g r e e , however, as t o t h e e s s e n t i a l s of P e i p i n g ' s p o s i t i o n . The CCP t o l d Ghosh t h a t t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c w a s b e i n g g i v e n f a l s e i n f o r m a t i o n by t h e i r government, t h a t t h e b o r d e r c o n f l i c t w a s c a u s e d e n t i r e l y by I n d i a n armed p r o v o c a t i o n s , t h a t t h e b o r d e r had never been dem a r c a t e d , and t h a t t h e c u l t u r e of t h e p e o p l e s of t h e b o r d e r areas was l i k e t h a t o f t h e T i b e t a n s , n o t t h e I n d i a n s . A t t h e same t i m e , t h e C h i n e s e Communist leaders made it clear t h a t t h e i r r e s p o n s e i n t h e d i s p u t e was b e i n g s t r o n g l y c o n d i t i o n e d by t h e i r view o f t h e I n d i a n p o l i t i c a l s c e n e . They f e l t t h a t r e a c t i o n a r i e s s u p p o r t e d by t h e United S t a t e s were g a i n i n g power i n I n d i a and were s t e a d i l y drawing Nehru i n t o t h e r i g h t ist camp; a c c o r d i n g t o one r e p o r t , Ghosh w a s even t o l d t h a t Nehru was now t h e " r u n n i n g dog of t h e American i m p e r i a l i s t s t 1 who had at l a s t " l i f t e d h i s mask". The CCP leaders i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y had been d r i v e n toward t h i s view of Nehru by t h e T i b e t a n a f f a i r and had been r e i n f o r c e d i n t h e i r c o n v i c t i o n by t h e K e r a l a d i s a s t e r . They warned Ghosh t h a t i f t h e CPI c o n t i n u e d t o s u p p o r t Nehru, t h e CPI r i g h t wing would be t o t a l l y absorbed by r e a c t i o n a r y f o r c e s ; t h e CPI, t h e y s a i d , must be p r e p a r e d t o e x i s t on its own s t r e n g t h . F o r t h e i r p a r t , t h e CCP leaders f e l t t h a t it w a s because Nehru had swung toward t h e r e a c t i o n a r i e s t h a t t h e CPR c o u l d n o t a f f o r d t o y i e l d a s i n g l e i n c h of its t e r r i t o r y i n T i b e t , and had t o s t r e n g t h e n its p o s i t i o n on t h e b o r d e r " i n c h by i n c h . " They a p p a r e n t l y r e f u s e d t o t a k e t h e i n i t i a t i v e i n s e e k i n g a NehruChou meeting. When Ghosh p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e CPI w a s b e i n g b a d l y h u r t by t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n of t h e d i s p u t e , t h e Chinese l e a d e r s are s a i d t o have l i s t e n e d c a r e f u l l y b u t t o - h a v e made no commitment o r clear s t a t e m e n t of t h e i r i n t e n t i o n s . Ghosh w a s g i v e n t h e i m p r e s s i o n , however, t h a t P e i p i n g wanted t h e d i s p u t e t o be s e t t l e d p e a c e f u l l y , and w a s t o l d t h a t t h e CgR a t p r e s e n t w a s c o n t e m p l a t i n g n o o v e r t a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e Indian f r o n t i e r s

,.

Much of t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e CCP p o s i t i o n w a s r e p o r t e d by Ghosh t o a CPI C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee meeting i n . C a l c u t t a i n l a t e September, which Ghosh h a s t e n e d back from ,Moscow j u s t i n t i m e t o a t t e n d . * A t t h e same t i m e , Ghosh gave *The m i l i t a n t s i n t h e CPI c e n t r a l a p p a r a t u s , hoping t o push t h r o u g h a l e f t w a r d change in CPI p o l i c y i n Ghosh's abs e n c e , r e p o r t e d l y had w r i t t e n t o Ghosh i n Moscow a d v i s i n g him n o t t o h u r r y back for t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g .

. .

64

. .
I

. (

..
'

...

I n d i a n p a r t y l e a d e r s some i n k l i n g of t h e d i f f e r e n c e s growbetween t h e C h i n e s e and S o v i e t l i n e s . The S o v i e t l e a d e r s a l s o been v e r y d i s t u r b e d about Nehru's a c t i o n i n Kerala, worr5ed t h a t Nehru might be c h a n g i n g h i s p o l i c y ' a n d drawn e a r e r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . On 5 o r 6 September Ghosh was s a i d t o have a d d r e s s e d and answered q u e s t i o n s b e f o r e a l e n g t h y meeting of CPSU C e n t r a l Committee o f f i c i a l s d e v o t e d e n t i r e l y t o Kerala. E v e n t u a l l y , however, t h e S o v i e t s a g a i n d e c i d e d t o m a i n t a i n t h e c u r r e n t p o l i c y . When Ghosh r e t u r n e d t o Moscow from P e i p i n g i n mid-September and t h e r e r e p o r t e d t h e a d v i c e he had been g i v e n , t h e CPSU a p p a r e n t l y d i r e c t l y c o n t r a d i c t e d t h e CCP; Ghosh r e p o r t e d l y w a s t o l d t h a t t h e I n d i a n n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e w a s n o t a b o u t t o f a l l under t h e c o n t r o l of t h e Western i m p e r i a l i s t c o u n t r i e s , t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d c o n t i n u e t o f o l l o w t h e Amritsar l i n e , and t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d above a l l a v o i d a c t i o n s which might t e n d t o p r e c i p i t a t e a c i v i l w a r i n India. T h i s a d v i c e w a s i n l i n e w i t h s t a t e m e n t s a l r e a d y made by Khrushchev t o Ghosh t h e week b e f o r e i n t h e C r i m e a , a c c o r d i n g t o a n o t e l a t e r c i r c u l a t e d by Ghosh t o t h e I n d i a n CEC m e e t i n g . Khrushchev w a s s a i d t o have t o l d Ghosh t h a t t h e CPI and Comm u n i s t p a r t i e s i n o t h e r non-bloc c o u n t r i e s s h o u l d a v o i d upr i s i n g s and o t h e r " w a r l i k e s i t u a t i o n s " s i n c e t h e i r e f f e c t would now h i n d e r r a t h e r t h a n a i d t h e growth of Communism; t h a t s u c h u p r i s i n g s would l e a d t o t h e s u p p r e s s i o n of Communist movements by r e a c t i o n a r y f o r c e s ; t h a t Communist p a r t y t a c t i c s now s h o u l d be d i f f e r e n t from t h o s e used i n t h e p a s t s i n c e "now Communism c a n n o t be e s t a b l i s h e d w i t h t h e a i d of an o u t s i d e f o r c e ; " and t h a t t h e a v o i d a n c e of w a r f o r t h r e e o r f o u r y e a r s would enable b l o c m i l i t a r y s t r e n g t h t o s u r p a s s t h a t of t h e West.
T h i s S o v i e t a d v i c e was used by Ghosh a t t h e September C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee meeting i n a r g u i n g a g a i n s t an i n c r e a s i n g t e n d e n c y of t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n leaders t o welcome t h e C h i n e s e p r e s s u r e on t h e I n d i a n b o r d e r as j u s t i f y i n g a .new m i l i t a n t l i n e f o r t h e CPI. I n abandoning i n s u r r e c t i o n a r y t a c t i c s i n 1951, t h e I n d i a n p a r t y h d c i t e d , as one of t h e reasons why s u c h t a c t i c s had been e r r o n e o u s , t h e a b s e n c e i n I n d i a of a f i r m and c o n t i g u o u s r e v o l u t i o n a r y b a s e a c r o s s t h e b o r d e r s u c h as t h e CCP had had i n t h e USSR. The CPI l e f t ists now argued t h a t t h i s was no l o n g e r t r u e , t h a t w i t h t h e PLA now p r e s e n t i n f o r c e on t h e T i b e t a n b o r d e r t h p I n d i a n p a r t y had b o t h a c h a n n e l of s u p p o r t f o r armed o p e r a t i o n s and

the ing had and iing

, *

65

... .

.
8 '

. .

a p o t e n t i a l l i b e r a t o r i n t h e e v e n t of mass u p r i s i n g s . R e p e t i t i o n s of t h i s argument by t h e l e f t i s t s t h r o u g h o u t 1960 have s i n c e been r e p o r t e d on many o c c a s i o n s by s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t sources; it w a s f i r s t h e a r d a t a 13 September 1959 m e e t i n g of P t h e C I p a r l i a m e n t a r y f r a c t i o n , where it was v o i c e d by Basavapun$i& Ranadive, and t h e head of t h e CPI secret app a r a t u s J a i p a l Singh. I n opposing arguments f o r t h i s t h e s i s a t t h e s u b s e q u e n t September C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g Ghosh n o t o n l y evoked Khrushchev's a u t h o r i t y , b u t warned t h a t t h e Amritsar t h e s i s , as a fundamental t e n e t o f t h e CPI, c o u l d o n l y be a l t e r e d "when changes i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s i t u a t i o n c o i n c i d e w i t h i n t e r n a l p o l i t i c a l changes" - - t h a t is, when a change i n t h e B I l i n e would s e r v e t h e c u r r e n t o v e r a l l i n t e r e s t s o f S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y . Nevertheless, t h e l e f t i s t s are r e p o r t e d t o have been able t o f o r c e t h r o u g h t h e m e e t i n g a compromise whereby t h e CEC requested I n d i a n p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y secretariats t o p r e p a r e f o r c e n t r a l p a r t y c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h e i r s u g g e s t i o n s f o r p o s s i b l e amendments t o t h e Amritsar T h e s i s .
On t h e b o r d e r q u e s t i o n , t h e l e f t i s t s c i r c u l a t e d a t t h e
CEC meeting a document u p h o l d i n g t h e Chinese case e n t i r e l y , and c l a i m i n g t h a t t h e d i s p u t e was l i n k e d b o t h w i t h a s h i f t

'

i n I n d i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y and Nehru's r e a c t i o n a r y d o m e s t i c tendency r e c e n t l y shown i n Kerala. T h i s document s a i d t h a t t h e government w a s u s i n g t h e d i s p u t e t o d i s t r a c t t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e from t h e real i s s u e s and t o create a s i t u a t i o n where t h e CPI c o u l d be i s o l a t e d and o u t l a w e d . I t c a l l e d on t h e p a r t y t o "expose t h i s game of t h e Nehru government". Ghosh, however, is r e p o r t e d t o have proposed a "middle way" suggested t o him i n Moscow, whereby t h e CPI would s t a t e t h a t a c c e p t a n c e of n e i t h e r t h e MacMahon l i n e nor t h e l i n e shown on Chinese maps s h o u l d be made a p r e c o n d i t i o n f o r S i n o - I n d i a n n e g o t i a t i o n s . T h i s f o r m u l a , p l u s a s t a t e m e n t of t h e CPI's c o n v i c t i o n t h a t s o c i a l i s t China c o u l d n e v e r commit a g g r e s s i o n , formed t h e c o r e of t h e CEC r e s o l u t i o n e v e n t u a l l y a d o p t e d on t h i s s u b j e c t and p u b l i s h e d on 25 September. T h i s second CPI r e s o l u t i o n on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e a r o u s e d a g r e a t p u b l i c u p r o a r ; t h e C P I ' s f a i l u r e t o p l a c e any blame upon China o r t o s u p p o r t any a s p e c t of t h e I n d i a n government's p o s i t i o n was w i d e l y denounced as v i r t u a l l y t r e a s o n a b l e . T h i s r e a c t i o n from a l l s e c t i o n s of t h e non-Communist p u b l i c w a s t o p l a c e s e v e r e p r e s s u r e upon t h o s e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s h e a v i l y dependent on e l e c t o r a l a l l i a n c e s

66

w i t h o t h e r p a r t i e s ; as a r e s u l t of t h e i n d i s c i p l i n e p r e v a l e n t i n t h e CPI, c e r t a i n r i g h t i s t - i n c l i n e d p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s were t o succumb t o t h i s p r e s s u r e and oppose t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y l i n e . The c e n t e r o f t h i s o p p o s i t i o n w a s M a h a r a s h t r a on t h e w e s t coast, and its l e a d e r w a s Dange. I n mid-September Dange reiterated p r i v a t e l y t o a M a h a r a s h t r a S t a t e Council meeting h i s August p o s i t i o n t h a t t h e MacMahon l i n e s h o u l d be t a k e n as t h e b a s i s f o r n e g o t i a t i o n . After t h e C a l c u t t a C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g , on 7 O c t o b e r , t h e m u l t i - p a r t y a l l i a n c e t o which t h e CPI belonged i n Bombay m e t and i s s u e d a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t u p h o l d i n g t h e MacMahon l i n e and a c c u s i n g t h e CPR of " f o r c i b l e o c c u p a t i o n " of I n d i a n t e r r i t o r y ; Dange, who headed t h e Communist r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s p r e s e n t , c o n c u r r e d i n t h i s s t a t e m e n t . T h i s a c t i o n is s a i d t o have i n f u r i a t e d t h e CCP l e a d e r s , who communicated t h e i r a n g e r t o Ghosh, t h e n i n P e i p i n g f o r t h e Chinese t e n t h a n n i v e r s a r y c e l e b r a t i o n s ; Ghosh on 9 October s e n t a message t o t h e CPI\ C e n t r a l Secret a r i a t v i a t h e Chinese Embassy i n New D e l h i demanding t h a t no f u r t h e r s t a t e m e n t s be made on t h e border s i t u a t i o n by. any CPI members. Dange i s s u e d a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t s l i g h t l y s o f t e n i n g t h e s t r o n g s t a n d t a k e n by t h e m u l t i - p a r t y a l l i a n c e , and t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t a p p l i e d p r e s s u r e upon t h e M a h a r a s h t r a CP; b u t on 1 4 O c t o b e r t h e M a h a r a s h t r a P r o v i n c i a l Committee d e f i e d t h e p a r t y c e n t e r by p a s s i n g a r e s o l u t i o n s u p p o r t i n g t h e multi-party r e s o l u t i o n and endorsing t h e a c t i o n of t h e Communist r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s t h e r e .
A number o f o t h e r prominent C P I l e a d e r s t o o k p o s i t i o n s i n l a t e September and e a r l y O c t o b e r o p p o s i n g t h e " u n p a t r i o t i c " s t a n d t a k e n i n t h e C P I ' s 24 September C a l c u t t a r e s o l u t i o n . I n p a r t i c u l a r , a n i n f l u e n t i a l s e c t i o n of t h e K e r a l a p a r t y was r e p o r t e d becoming v o c i f e r o u s l y a n t i-Chinese because t h e CPR's a t t i t u d e on t h e b o r d e r was h u r t i n g t h e p a r t y ' s c h a n c e s i n t h e Kerala e l e c t i o n s s c h e d u l e d f o r F e b r u a r y 1960. Four Kerala l e a d e r s were r e p o r t e d t o have s e n t a memorandum t o t h e C a l c u t t a meeting e x p l a i n i n g t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s t h e border i s s u e w a s c a u s i n g them, and recommending t h a t t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee s t a t e o p e n l y t h a t t h e CPR had made m i s takes and committed a g g r e s s i o n . On 3 O c t o b e r , f o r m e r Kerala Chief M i n i s t e r Namboodiripad t o l d newsmen t h a t " t h e r e f u s a l of t h e Communist p a r t y t o denounce China is c o s t i n g it t h e g o o d w i l l o f a l a r g e s e c t i o n of ' i t s s y m p a t h i z e r s i n I n d i a . "
+

67

I t was a g a i n s t t h i s background t h a t t h e C P I p r e p a r e d t o celebrate t h e C P R ' s t e n t h a n n i v e r s a r y i n e a r l y October 1959. The c e n t r a l p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p made a v i g o r o u s e f f o r t t o c o u n t e r t h e t i d e of a n t i - C h i n e s e s e n t i m e n t w i t h i n t h e p a r t y i n a 4 October s p e c i a l i s s u e of t h e weekly - A e d e v o t e d t o t h e New g who was n o t a a n n i v e r s a r y . New Age--edited by P. C. l e f t i s t b u t w h o e v e r t h e l e s s had l o n g been t h e most f e r v e n t admirer of t h e CCP among t h e I n d i a n p a r t y l e a d e r s - - o n t h i s o c c a s i o n went f a r beyond a m e r e d e f e n s e of S i n o - I n d i a n f r i e n d s h i p , and t o o k p o s i t i o n s which demonstrated how l i t t l e comp r e h e n s i o n many C P I leaders who l a t e r proved t o be l o y a l t o t h e CPSU still had of Moscow's s e n s i t i v i t y t o c e r t a i n Chinese p o l i c i e s and ideological claims, and how l i g h t l y t h e CPSU was s t i l l t r e a d i n g i n communicating its p o s i t i o n o n t h e s e i s s u e s t o t h e CPI.* T h i s i s s u e c o n t a i n e d one a r t i c l e h a i l i n g t h e p o l i c i e s of t h e C h i n e s e " l e a p forward"; a n o t h e r a r t i c l e h a i l i n g t h e p r a c t i c a l and i d e o l o g i c a l a d v a n t a g e s of t h e communes** and t e r m i n g them t h e "morning s u n r i s i n g above t h e broad h o r i z e n of east Asia;" a n o t h e r c a l l i n g M o T s e - t u n g a " g r e a t a M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t " whose t h e o r y of combined u n i t y and s t r u g g l e w i t h t h e b o u r g e o i s i e w a s "one of t h e v e r y d e c i s i v e c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f t h e C h i n e s e Communists t o t h e g e n e r a l t h e o r y o f t h e world l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e ; " and s t i l l a n o t h e r c i t i n g and end o r s i n g Mao's "paper t i g e r " t h e s i s . The CPSU by October 1959 had l o n g been in c o n f l i c t w i t h P e i p i n g on e a c h of t h e s e t o p i c s , and no s u c h sweeping endorsement of a l l of t h e CCP's p o l i c i e s w a s e v e r made a g a i n by - N e w Age.

mi,

*As w i l l be s e e n l a t e r , d e s p i t e t h e c o n t r a d i c t o r y l i n e s on I n d i a a l r e a d y b e i n g t a k e n by Moscow and P e i p i n g , t h e CPSU cont i n u e d t o a t t e m p t t o h i d e t h e e s s e n c e of its g e n e r a l f o r e i g n p o l i c y d i s p u t e w i t h t h e CCP from a l l e x c e p t a v e r y few I n d i a n p a r t y leaders u n t i l w e l l a f t e r t h e d i s p u t e had broken o u t i n t o t h e open i n t h e s p r i n g o f 1960. Joshi a p p a r e n t l y s t u b b o r n l y r e f u s e d t o b e l i e v e t h a t Moscow could be i n s e r i o u s d i s a g r e e ment w i t h P e i p i n g and c o n s e q u e n t l y was a vehement s u p p o r t e r of t h e CCP's l i n e on t h e b o r d e r issue and o t h e r t o p i c s u n t i l t h e CPSU's p o s i t i o n was f i n a l l y made clear t o him i n mid-1960-whereupon h e a b r u p t l y s w i t c h e d sides.

**There is no good e v i d e n c e to i n d i c a t e t h a t r e v e r b e r a t i o n s of t h e Sino-Soviet d i s p u t e o v e r t h e communes had e v e r been v e r y w i d e l y f e l t w i t h i n t h e CPI, a l t h o u g h Ghosh i n a p r i v a t e t a l k w i t h Andhra l e a d e r s i n December 1958 d i d i n d i c a t e t h a t he had been informed by t h e S o v i e t s of t h e i r d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e " i n n e r p a r t y s i t u a t i o n i n Communist China" because o f t h e commune i s s u e , among other t h i n g s .

68

E. The October A n n i v e r s a r y T a l k s
The CPI l e a d e r s h i p meanwhile p r e p a r e d far a n o t h e r round of t a l k s w i t h t h e C h i n e s e and S o v i e t s i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e CPR a n n i v e r s a r y . Ghosh headed a five-man d e l e g a t i o n t o Peipi n g i n e a r l y O c t o b e r ; on t h e t e n t h . he a g a i n v i s i t e d Moscow t o r e p o r t on h i s d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h t h e Chinese, and on t h e 1 8 t h h e r e t u r n e d home. While i n P e i p i n g , Ghosh is r e p o r t e d t o have had a t l e a s t one j o i n t m e e t i n g w i t h t h e S o v i e t s , Chinese. and representatives of o t h e r Asian m r t i e s . pus o n e o r t w o s e p a r a t e - t a l k s w i t h Khrushchev and Suklov, and' s e v e r a l p r i v a t e t a l k s w i t h blao and Liu. I

- 4
I

i n t n e s e t a l k s w i t h t h e Chinese osn r e i t e r a t e d h i s e a r l i e r p l a i n t s a b o u t t h e h a r m f u l eff e c t s t h e d i s p u t e w a s h a v i n g upon t h e CPI, o n l y t o be t o l d t h a t t h e I n d i a n Government and Nehru were now t h o r o u g h r e a c t i o n a r i e s , t h a t t h e C P I w a s g e t t i n g p a n i c k y o v e r nothi n g , and t h a t China w a s b e i n g i s o l a t e d n o t from t h e p e o p l e of I n d i a , b u t o n l y f r o m t h e I n d i a n r e a c t i o n a r i e s . S e v e r a l o t h e r e a r l i e r r e p o r t s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e Chinese a g a i n emp h a s i z e d t h a t t h e i r d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o t a k e a f i r m s t a n d on t h e b o r d e r had its roots i n t h e I n d i a n conduct d u r i n g t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t and t h e D a l a i Lama's a c t i v i t i e s i n I n d i a . P e i p i n g r e i t e r a t e d its claim of I n d i a n r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e border clashes, b u t professed a readiness t o negotiate, and r e p o r t e d l y h i n t e d a t w i l l i n g n e s s t o t r a d e Chinese r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e MacMahon l i n e i n t h e east f o r I n d i a n r e c o g n i Lion of t h e Chinese claim t o Ladakh i n t h e west. t h e Chinese l e a d e r s , while na r;aIR?n ~y r l k h t - w i n g l e a d e r s s u c h as Dange, e x p r e s s e d a p p r e c i a t i o n of t h e manner i n which t h e c e n t r a l CPI l e a d e r s h i p had t h u s f a r r e s i s t e d n a t i o n a l i s t p r e s s u r e s , and acknowledged t h a t t h e CPI c o u l d n o t take a s t a n d o p e n l y s u p p o r t i n g t h e CPR. M o and L i u a p p a r e n t l y once more r e f u s e d , however, t o a commit t h e m s e l v e s t o i n i t i a t e a r e q u e s t f o r a Nehru-Chou m e e t i n g , and e v e n rebuked t h e CPI for h a v i n g f a i l e d t o unders t a n d how s u c h a C h i n e s e i n i t i a t i v e would p l a y i n t o N e h r u ' s hands. R e p e a t i n g t h e i r p e s s i m i s t i c view of Nehru--and a t t r i b u t i n g h i s h o s t i l e s t a n d o n T i b e t and t h e b o r d e r t o t h e fears of t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e of t h e e f f e c t of t h e example

' I
I

I
i
1 1

69

_.

of s o c i a l i s t China on t h e I n d i a n masses--the CCP leaders n e v e r t h e l e s s r e c o g n i z e d t h e need f o r t h e C P I t o do e v e r y t h i n g possible t o keep Nehru from moving s t i l l f u r t h e r t o t h e r i g h t . L i u is reported t o have warned t h e CPS t o be'ware of N e h r u as " t h e most c 1 e a e r : i n t e r p r e t e r of t h e pb1.i-y of B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l i s m i n .Asia." T h i s e v a l u a t i o n was rei n f o r c e d by an a r t i c l e p u b l i s h e d i n t h e Chinese j o u r n a l World Knowledge on 5 October--in t h e m i d s t o f t h e P e i p i n g ---which p r o v i d e d t h e m o s t h o s t i l e CPR p u b l i c a l l u s i o n t o t h e I n d i a n government s i n c e t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t t h e prev i o u s s p r i n g . The a r t i c l e admitted t h a t t h e b o u r g e o i s leaders of some newly i n d e p e n d e n t c o u n t r i e s have " c e r t a i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n s w i t h t h e imperialists, but i n s i s t e d t h a t " a t t h e same t i m e t h e y m a i n t a i n s u c h i n t r i c a t e r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s as lead them-:to m a n i f e s t a n e x p a n s i o n ist ambition." Under t h e p r e s s u r e of t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s and d o m e s t i c r e a c t i o n a r i e s , s a i d World Knowledge, Ifsuch doublef a c e d ' n e u t r a l i s t s ' o f t e n show v a c i l l a t i o n s . " The c o n t e x t made it clear t h a t " t h e leaders i n I n d i a , " t h r o u g h t h e i r a c t i o n s toward T i b e t and t h e Chinese border, had shown thems e l v e s t o be s u c h double-faced n e u t r a l i s t s

There is abundant i n d i c a t i o n , both from t h e p u b l i c Sov i e t s t a t e m e n t s i n P e i p i n g and from s u b s e q u e n t e v e n t s t h a t t h e S o v i e t d e l e g a t i o n made a s e r i o u s a n e e f f o r t a t t h i s t i m e t o overcome Chinese opposit i o n t o t h e e n t i r e c o u r s e of S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y . Although there is no c o n c l u s i v e e v i d e n c e , it also seems l i k e l y t h a t Khrushchev made some e f f o r t b p e r s u a d e t h e Chinese t o modify t h e i r p o s t u r e on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e , a t l e a s t t o t h e e x t e n t of i n i t i a t i n g a p r o p o s a l f o r n e g o t i a t i o n s between Nehru and Chou; i f s o , it appears from Mao's s u b s e q u e n t remarks t o t h e CPI d e l e g a t i o n t h a t P e i p i n g c o n t i n u e d f o r some t i m e t o resist and r e s e n t t h i s s u g g e s t i o n . L a t e r , a f t e r Chou E n - l a i had f i n a l l y proposed s u c h t a l k s i n h i s 7 November l e t t e r t o Nehru, t h e I n d i a n Ambassador i n Moscow is r e l i a b l y reported t o have t o l d h i s government t h a t t h i s off e r , even t h o u g h hedged i n by q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , h a d been s e n t under S o v i e t p r e s s u r e ; and t h e same a s s e r t i o n was made t o t h e I n d i a n Government on 16 November by a S o v i e t embassy o f f i c i a l i n New D e l h i . The S o v i e t o f f i c i a l added t h a t h i s government regretted t h a t t h e o f f e r of n e g o t i a t i o n s had n o t been made a t l e a s t a month e a r l i e r , b u t t h a t Chinese p o l i c y w a s n o t f l e x i b l e . There is l i t t l e doubt t h a t t h e USSR w a s

70

I .

-..

:j

*O

making e v e r y e f f o r t t o e x a g g e r a t e t h e e x t e n t of its p r e s s u r e on P e i p i n g i n t h e e y e s of t h e I n d i a n government and p u b l i c ; t h u s on 10 October a l u r i d a c c o u n t i n B l i t z d e p i c t e d Khrushchev as h a v i n g s t e r n l y u p b r a i d e d C h o m t h e Chinese s t a n d and as h a v i n g ordered him t o r e p l y p o l i t e l y t o N e h r u ' s mess a g e of c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s on t h e CPR a n n i v e r s a r y (which Chou i n f a c t d i d ) . N e v e r t h e l e s s , it seems t o have been d e a r l y t h e d e s i r e of t h e USSR t h r o u g h o u t t h i s p e r i o d t o have n e g o t i a t i o n s begun and t e n s i o n r e d u c e d between China and I n d i a as r a p i d l y as p o s s i b l e , and it is e q u a l l y clear t h a t P e i p i n g was d r a g g i n g i t s f e e t . When Ghosh v i s i t e d Moscow a f t e r h i s October s t a y i n P e i p i n g , h e is r e p o r t e d t o have been g i v e n a b r i e f i n g on t h e Soviet peaceful coexistence s t r a t e g y s i m i l a r to t h a t furnishe d him by Khrushchev t h e month b e f o r e . S o v i e t p a r t y leaders t o l d Ghosh t h a t t h e a i m of t h e p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e was t o p r e v e n t war f o r a number of y e a r s s u f f i c i e n t t o g i v e t h e b l o c d e c i s i v e command of t h e b a l a n c e of power, so t h a t t h e rest of t h e world c o u l d s u b s e q u e n t l y be e n a b l e d t o g r a v i t a t e toward Communism w i t h o u t f e a r of " i m p e r i a l i s t " i n t e r v e n t i o n . According t o a n o t h e r r e p o r t , S u s l o v is s a i d t o have' told Ghosh t h a t t h e CPI m u s t a t a l l costs n o t allow i t s e l f t o become i s o l a t e d from t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e , even if t h i s r e q u i r e d t h e p a r t y t o take a c t i o n s n o t i n t h e immediate i n t e r e s t s of t h e socialist countries. Thus armed w i t h S o v i e t p e r m i s s i o n t o t a k e whatever s t e p s might p r o v e n e c e s s a r y t o c o n c i l i a t e I d d i a n n a t i o n a l i s t o p i n i o n , Ghosh r e t u r n e d t o N e w D e l h i , and on 18 October h e l d a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e i n which h e emphasized a t g r e a t l e n g t h Mae's assura n c e s t o h i m of P e i p i n g ' s p e a c e f u l i n t e n t i o n s and s i n c e r e d e s i r e f o r a p e a c e f u l s e t t l e m e n t w i t h I n d i a . These remarks by Ghosh were g i v e n e x t e n s i v e coverage in New Age of 25 October; i n t h e meantime, however, a new c l a s h h a d occurred between C h i n e s e Communist t r o o p s and I n d i a n border g u a r d s i n t h e Ladakh area, I n d i a n s were k i l l e d and I n d i a n p r i s o n e r s t a k e n by t h e C h i n e s e , and P e i p i n g had o f f i c i a l l y p r o t e s t e d t h a t t h e c l a s h w a s t h e r e s u l t of p r o v o c a t i o n by t h e I n d i a n s i d e . Ghosh w a s t h u s p l a c e d in a r i d i c u l o u s p o s i t i o n , and r e a c t e d s h a r p l y i n t h e l i g h t of t h e S o v i e t g u i d a n c e h e had r e c e i v e d . An emergent? m e e t i n g of t h e CPI C e n t r a l Secret a r i a t w a s h e l d on 24 O c t o b e r , f o l l o w i n g which a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t was i s s u e d c a l l i n g t h e Ladakh c l a s h a " t r a g i c e v e n t " and s a y i n g t h a t t h e r e w a s "no j u s t i f i c a t i o n whatever" f o r

- 71 -

t h e f i r i n g . The S e c r e t a r i a t a l s o s e n t a n o t e t o t h e C h i n e s e Embassy o u t l i n i n g t h e f e e l i n g s of t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e about t h i s e v e n t , d e c l a r i n g t h a t t h e Chinese government s h o u l d have e x p r e s s e d r e g r e t i n s t e a d of making a p r o t e s t , and s a y i n g t h a t P e i p i n g s h o u l d be t h e f i r s t t o t a k e t h e i n i t i a t i v e i n starti n g n e g o t i a t i o n s , s i n c e " t h e r e is no problem of p r e s t i g e " i n d o i n g t h i s (presumably, an a l l u s i o n t o Mao's i n d i c a t i o n t o Ghosh t h a t t h i s w a s i n d e e d a matter of p r e s t i g e ) . T h i s n o t e w a s s e n t t o t h e CPR Ambassador on 24 October w i t h t h e r e q u e s t t h a t it be forwarded t o P e i p i n g ; 1

I
In t h e l a s t week of O c t a b e r , CPI l e a d e r s were r e p o r t e d t o have c o n t a c t e d t h e h e a d s of s e v e r a l bloc d i p l o m a t i c m i s s i o n s i n New D e l h i t o ask t h a t t h e CPI s t a n d on t h e border i s s u e n o t be m i s u n d e r s t o o d , and t h a t any f u t u r e a p p a r e n t d i s agreement w i t h t h e CCP be r e g a r d e d as a t a c t i c a l move by t h e CPI. These warnings w e r e a p p a r e n t l y i n i t i a t e d by Ghosh as a p r e l i m i n a r y t o a move on h i s p a r t t o promote a somewhat more n a t i o n a l i s t i c p o s t u r e f o r t h e CPI. A t t h e s u b s e q u e n t m e e t i n g s i n e a r l y and mid-November i n Meerut of t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee and t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , Ghosh d i d i n deed s u p p o r t s o m e of t h e demands of t h e r i g h t f a c t i o n of t h e p a r t y l e d by Dange. After i n t e n s e r e s i s t a n c e by t h e l e f t f a c t i o n , t h e Meerut m e e t i n g s e v e n t u a l l y produced a' new compromise p a r t y r e s o l u t i o n which, w h i l e s t i l l a m b i v a l e n t , w a s s e v e r a l d e g r e e s closer t o t h e n a t i o n a l i s t p o s i t i o n . The Ind i a n government's claims f o r t h e Maclahon l i n e i n t h e e a s t e r n

72

-_ . j

h a l f o f t h e b o r d e r were f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e e x p l i c i t l y e n d o r s e d and t h e C h i n e s e claims r e j e c t e d ; b u t t h e w e s t e r n b o r d e r i n Ladakh w a s d e c l a r e d t o be undetermined, and Chou E n - l a i ' s prop o s a l f o r a m e e t i n g w i t h Nehru w a s welcomed w i t h o u t mention of t h e p r i o r c o n d i t i o n of a Chinese t r o o p p u l l b a c k which t h e I n d i a n government p l a c e d upon s u c h a m e e t i n g . While t h e CPI w a s moving i n t h i s d i r e c t i o n , t h e CPSU was t a k i n g an i n c r e a s i n g l y c o n t r a d i c t o r y p o s i t i o n on t h e I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e : w h i l e i n p u b l i c growing more and more c r i t i c a l of t h e Chinese l i n e , Moscow i n p r i v a t e w a s a t t e m p t i n g t o res t r a i n CPI f a c t i o n a l i s m by denying any d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h P e i p i n g . I n Khrushchev's 31 October s p e e c h t o t h e Supreme S o v i e t (which marked t h e high-water p o i n t of t h e c o n c i l i a t o r y peacef u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e toward t h e West g e n e r a l l y ) t h e S o v i e t Premier e x p r e s s e d d e e p regret o v e r t h e Ladakh i n c i d e n t o f t h e week b e f o r e , s a i d t h a t " n o t h i n g c a n compensate'' t h e r e l a t i v e s of t h e c a s u a l t i e s , and a p p e a l e d f o r f r i e n d l y n e g o t i a t i o n s " t o t h e mutual s a t i s f a c t i o n of b o t h s i d e s . ' ' On 2 November a CPSU l e t t e r w a s r e p o r t e d t o have been r e c e i v e d by t h e CPI which i n s i s t e d t h a t t h e s t a n d t a k e n by Khrushchev was d e s i g n e d t o i n f l u e n c e t h e I n d i a n government , which d e n i e d t h a t any r i f t c o u l d e x i s t between Moscow and P e i p i n g , and which v a g u e l y warned t h e C P I t o move c a u t i o u s l y and m i s u n d e r s t a n d n e i t h e r t h e CPSU n o r t h e CCP. B u t on 15 November, t h e C P I weekly N e w Age p u b l i s h e d an i n t e r v i e w between its Moscow c o r r e s p o n d e n t Khrushchev a t a Kremlin r e c e p t i o n on t h e e v e n i n g of 7 November. The N e w Age c o r r e s p o n d e n t quoted Klirushchev as c a l l i n g t h e border d i s p u t e "a s a d and s t u p i d s t o r y , " a s argui n g t h a t t h e area i n d i s p u t e w a s u n i n h a b i t e d and w i t h o u t s t r a t e g i c s i g n i f i c a n c e , and as c i t i n g t h e example o f t h e USSR's c e s s i o n of t e r r i t o r y t o I r a n as a model o f a m i c a b l e s e t t l e ment of s u c h d i f f e r e n c e s . Khrushchev was s a i d t o have d e c l a r e d , "we gave up more t h a n w e g a i n e d ; what were a" f e w ' k i l o r i r e t e r s f o r a c o u n t r y l i k e t h e S o v i e t Union." While these statements could have been i n t e n d e d a l s o t o a f f e c t I n d i a n government p o l i c y , t h e i r immediate e f f e c t c a n o n l y have been upon CPI r a n k - a n d - f i l e membership, and m u s t have s u g g e s t e d t o p a r t y members t h e r e a l i t y of t h e Sino-Soviet d i f f e r e n c e s t h e 2 November CPSU l e t t e r had j u s t s o u g h t to deny. While S o v i e t media n e v e r pub1 i s h e d t h i s Khruslichev i n t e r v i e w , p o r t i o n s of it were r e p o r t e d by a Ne w York Times c o r r e s p o n d e n t p r e s e n t , and it is i n any case u n l i k e l y t h a t New Age would have i n v e n t e d s t a t e m e n t s of t h i s t y p e a t t r i b u t e d t o r u s h c h e v .
. .

.,

most

73

.
,

..

. .

. :

--

The CCP is r e l i a b l y known t o have b i t t e r l y r e s e n t e d b o t h t h i s s t a t e m e n t and t h e one c o n t a i n e d i n Khrushchev's 31 October s p e e c h , and t o have viewed them as stages i n a mounting Sov i e t p u b l i c a t t a c k on C h i n e s e p o l i c y .

P e i p i n g t a l k s w i t h t h e CPI l e a d e r s h i p - t h a t t h e I n d i a n government w a s s e e k i n g a c o n v e n i e n t e x c u s e t o s t i r up a n t i - C h i n e s e and anti-Communist f e e l i n g s so t h a t the s y m p a t h i e s of t h e

74

t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s c a l l e d s e l f - c o n t r a d i c t o r y , and t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y l e a d e r s were a c c u s e d of t o e i n g t h e l i n e of " b o u r g e o i s Nehru." The e d i t o r i a l s t a f f of t h e C a l c u t t a p a r t y o r g a n Swadhinata d e t e r m i n e d n o t t o p u b l i c i z e t h i s p a r t y r e s o l u t i o n o r t o s l a n t its news r e p o r t s i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h i t . There i s e v i d e n c e t h a t r i g h t i s t CPI leaders made an a b o r t i v e a t t e m p t t o have t h e p a r t y C o n t r o l Commission i n v e s t i g a t e t h e l i n e t a k e n by Swadhinata. A t a West Bengal P r o v i n c i a l E x e c u t i v e *Committe&m e e t i n g in e a r l y December, it was f o r m a l l y d e c i d e d t o oppose t h e results of t h e Meerut meeting, and s u b s e q u e n t r e p o r t s t o l d of g a i n s made by pro-Chinese l e f t - f a c t i o n elements w i t h i n t h e p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s of Assam and T r i p u r a - n e i g h b o r s of West Bengal--thanks t o t h e m i s s i o n a r y i n f l u e n c e of t h e West B e n g a l i leaders. There is good e v i d e n c e of Chinese encouragement of t h i s e v o l u t i o n of t h e West Bengal p a r t y toward open d e f i a n c e of t h e p a r t y c e n t e r . According t o one r e p o r t o r i g i n a t i n g w i t h t h e West Bengal p o l i c e , a new CPR c o n s u l i n C a l c u t t a , s h o r t l y a f t e r h i s a r r i v a l i n September, h e l d several m e e t i n g s w i t h prominent m e m b e r s of t h e West Bengal p a r t y t o a p p r a i s e them of c u r r e n t C h i n e s e p o l i c y on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e and t o s u g g e s t t h e l i n e t h a t t h e y $s h o u l d t a k e i n c o u n t e r i n g a n t i - C h i n e s e propaganda. A West Bengal government i n t e l l i g e n c e r e p o r t i n November claimed t h a t f o u r powerful r a d i o s e t s had been i n s t a l l e d i n t h e o f f i c e of t h e China Review i n Calcutta t o l i s t e n t o broadcasts from P e i p i m n F l Z handouts were b e i n g q u i e t l y g i v e n t o Swadhinata f o r propaganda work on t h e b a s i s of t h e s e b r o a d c a s t s . Chinese propaganda t h e n i n t u r n p l a y e d back t h e l i n e f - d h i n a t a : i n a convers a tion t h e next y e a r , Ghosh complalnea L n ar; t n e C h i n e s e had p u b l i s h e d n o t h i n g about t h e November 1959 CPI N a t i o n a l Council meeting, b u t d i d f u l l y p u b l i c i z e t h e s u b s e q u e n t meeting of t h e West Bengal p a r t y and t h e w r i t i n g s i n Swadhinata. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e West Bengal party was reported t o have o r g a n i z e d a s p e c i a l c l a s s , s c h i c i u l e d t o b e g i n i n mid-December, f o r leadi n g p a r t y members: t h i s class was d e s i g n e d " t o e x p l a i n t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e a t t i t u d e of Communist China and t h e S o v i e t Union, w i t h s p e c i a l emphasis on t h e Chinese c o n c e p t of 'permanent r e v o l u t i o n . " ' F i n a l l y , i t was from about t h i s p e r i o d of t h e l a t e f a l l of 1959 t h a t i n d i c a t i o n s of Chinese f i n a n c i a l s u b s i d i e s t o sections of t h e I n d i a n party--and p a r t i c u l a r l y t o l e f t - f a c t i o n s t r o n g h o l d s s u c h as West Bengal--

'

75

began t o i n c r e a s e . By t h e f o l l o w i n g s p r i n g , t h e new and unaccustomed a f f l u e n c e o f t h e West Bengal p a r t y l e a d e r s , and t h e h e i g h t e n e d a s s e r t i v e n e s s which accompanied it , were b e i n g remarked on b i t t e r l y by C P I r i g h t i s t s .

A t t h e same t i m e , t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n members of t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t - - R a n a d i v e , Bhupesh Gupta, and p a r t i c u l a r l y Basavapunniah--became i n c r e a s i n g l y a c t i v e l a t e i n 1959 i n promoting t h e l i n e g i v e n them i n P e i p i n g t h r o u g h o u t t h e C P I . In mid-November, Basavapunniah was r e p o r t e d by two s o u r c e s t o have r e p e a t e d , t o a m e e t i n g of CPI l e a d e r s concerned w i t h c r e a t i n g an underground o r g a n i z a t i o n , h i s b e l i e f t h a t t h e C P I l a c k o f a c o n t i g u o u s f o r e i g n s u p p l y base d u r i n g t h e T e l e n g a n a r e v o l t had now been remedied w i t h t h e C h i n e s e o c c u p a t i o n of T i b e t and o t h e r f r o n t i e r areas. I n l a t e December h e was s a i d t o have r e i t e r a t e d to a m e e t i n g of t h e M a h a r a s h m S t a t e Counc i l Mao's s t a t e m e n t t o Ghosh t h a t T i b e t , Sikkim, Bhutan, and t h e Northwest F r o n t i e r Agency are p r o v i n c e s p e o p l e d by t h e same race, t h a t China had a h i s t o r i c r i g h t to t h e s e t e r r i t o r i e s , t h a t t h e MacMahon l i n e w a s n o t v a l i d , and t h a t t h e I n d i a n government's r a i s i n g of " t h e bogey o f C h i n e s e aggress i o n " had r e s u l t e d f r o m its r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and I n d i a would be d e e p l y affected by t h e s o c i a l and economic r e v o l u t i o n i n T i b e t .
A more r e m a r k a b l e i n d i c a t i o n of t h e l e n g t h s t o which t h e l e f t f a c t i o n i n t h e C P I c e n t e r was w i l l i n g t o go t o advance t h e CCP v i e w p o i n t w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n party--and t o promote t h e n o t i o n t h a t t h e CPSU e n d o r s e d t h a t viewpoint--was f u r n i s h e d by t h e r e p o r t s t h e y c i r c u l a t e d w i t h i n t h e p a r t y a t t h e end o f 1959 of a supposed secret M o-Khrushchev m e e t i n g . a ] t h e s e r e p o r t s were f i r s eu a y nanaazve on 1 2 De cember, when he claimed, w i t h much c i r c u m s t a n t i a l d e t a i l , t h a t t h e p a r t y c e n t e r had r e c e i v e d a . l e t t e r from t h e CPSU r e p o r t i n g t h a t M o and Khrushchev had a m e t i n Northeast China on 24 November t o d i s c u s s and r e a c h agreement on a wide r a n g e of world t o p i c s , i n c l u d i n g t h e border d i s p u t e . S u b s e q u e n t l y , a t e x t of t h i s p u r p o r t e d l e t t e r became a v a i l a b l e i n C P I a r c h i v e s , d i v e r g i n g f r o m Ranadivd5s o r a l account i n some d e t a i l s , b u t c l a i m i n g unanimity between t h e CCP and CPSU on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e as w e l l as on t h e comi n g summit conference.

I__1

76

The a l l e g e d CPSU l e t t e r is n o t c r e d i b l e f o r several r e a s o n s ; f i r s t l y , t h e a l l e g e d meeting i t s e l f is n o t c r e d i b l e . F u r t h e r , w h i l e it i s n o t i m p o s s i b l e ( i n view of p a s t and s u b s e q u e n t CPSU a t t e m p t s t o deny d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h P e i p i n g t o t h e CPI) t h a t t h e CPSU c o u l d have d e l i b e r a t e l y m i s i n formed t h e I n d i a n p a r t y a b o u t t h e alleged m e e t i n g , t h e Sov i e t p a r t y would not h a v e made some of t h e s t a t e m e n t s found i n t h e t e x t of its p u r p o r t e d l e t t e r : f o r example, t h e statement t h a t M o and Khrushchev had a g r e e d t h a t t h e West dea s i r e d a summit m e e t i n g "because t h e y wanted t o take t i m e t o m a k e t h e i r ' p o s i t i o n of s t r e n g t h ' s t a b l e and s t r o n g e r ; 1 1 j u s t s u c h a c l a i m t h a t Western "peace . g e s t u r e s " were a "smokescreen" behind which t h e West w a s b e i n g allowed t o r e d r e s s t h e m i l i t a r y b a l a n c e of power w h i l e d i s a r m i n g and d e m o r a l i z i n g r e v o l u t i o n a r y forces was t h e c e n t r a l theme i n troduced i n t o P e i p i n g ' s propaganda a t t a c k s on t h e S o v i e t p e a c e f u l coexistence l i n e i n t h e l a t e f a l l of 1959. The m o s t l i k e r y e x p l a n a t i o n a p p e a r s t o be t h a t t h e s e o r a l rep o r t s and t h e p u r p o r t e d t e x t of a S o v i e t l e t t e r were manuf a c t u r e d by Ranadive, Bhupesh Gupta and Basavapunniah--the t h r e e chief l e f t i s t s within t h e Central Secretariat--for u s e w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y . I t is p r o b a b l y s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t t h e first v e r s i o n of t h i s CPSU l e t t e r was r e p o r t e d by Ranadive f o u r d a y s a f t e r G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y Ajoy Ghosh was s t r i c k e n w i t h a h e a r t a t t a c k and h o s p i t a l i z e d on 8 December; Ghosh was o u t of t h e way u n t i l F e b r u a r y , d u r i n g which t i m e Basavapunniah is b e l i e v e d t o have a c t e d i n h i s p l a c e . Acc o r d i n g t o one r e p o r t , Basavapunniah, Ranadive, and Bhupesh Gupta i n l a t e December were employing t h i s supposed l e t t e r n o t o n l y as e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e CPSU and CCP were working c l o s e l y t o g e t h e r , b u t as a means of p r e s s u r i n g p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y u n i t s a g a i n s t t a k i n g a s t r o n g l y n a t i o n a l i s t l i n e on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e . I t is known t h a t Basavapunniah a t t e n d e d a m e e t i n g of t h e r i g h t i s t - d o m i n a t e d Maharashtra S t a t e Counc i l i n t h e t h i r d week of December and a t t a c k e d t h e I n d i a n government o v e r t h e b o r d e r i s s u e ; it is p o s s i b l e , though t h e r e is no d i r e c t c o n f i r m a t i o n , t h a t he c i t e d t h e p u r p o r t e d CPSU l e t t e r a t t h i s m e e t i n g .
If t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n is c o r r e c t , t h e f a l s i f i c a t i o n of t h e CPSU p o s i t i o n i n d u l g e d i n by t h e CPI l e f t i s t s on t h i s o c c a s i o n was a p r e l u d e t o t h e more o p e n l y anti-CPSU campaign of f a l s i f i c a t i o n t h e y l a u n c h e d a f t e r t h e 1960 Moscow Confere n c e , when t h e y Ilooded t h e I n d i a n p a r t y w i t h r e p o r t s of a h u m i l i a t i n g defeat f o r Khrushchev by t h e CCP 2nd of CPSU s u r r e n d e r of g u i d a n c e o v e r t h e CPI t o P e i p i n g .

- 77

Change i n L i n e Over Eisenhower V i s i t : I t is a l s o poss i b l e t h a t Ghosh's removal from' t h e s c e n e and t h e temporary

l e f t i s t assumption of c o n t r o l of t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y machinery i n December 1959 p l a y e d a role i n t h e d r a s t i c CPI r e v e r s a l of l i n e toward P r e s i d e n t E i s e n h o w e r ' s v i s i t t o I n d i a i n t h a t month. On 5 December, a f u l l m e e t i n g of t h e C P I secretariat w a s h e l d t o decide t h e p a r t y ' s p o l i c y toward t h a t v i s i t ; a f i g h t : among t h e leaders was reported t o have o c c u r r e d s i m i l a r t o t h a t a t t h e Meerut N a t i o n a l Council m e e t i n g two weeks bGfore, w i t h Ghosh's i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h e e a r l i e r g u i d a n c e g i v e n h i m i n Moscow a g a i n p r o v i n g d e c i s i v e . On 7 December, t h e secretariat i s s u e d a s t a t e m e n t ( p u b l i s h e d in New A e a g week l a t e r ) welcoming t h e P r e s i d e n t warmly and h a m n f l i s v i s i t as an "event of great importance.'' Subsequently t h e A l l - I n d i a n Peace C o u n c i l , a CPI f r o n t , s e n t Mr. Eisenhower a n e f f u s i v e l e t t e r of welcome. On 9 December, however, Sov i e t Ambassador Benediktov s e n t a n o t e t o t h e p a r t y secret a r i a t c r i t i c i z i n g its judgment i n issuing its s t a t e m e n t , and s a y i n g t h a t i f s u c h a d e c i s i o n a c t u a l l y was t h e i r best t a c t i c a l l i n e , t h e announcement s h o u l d have been made by an execut i v e body lower t h a n t h e secretariat t o a v o i d : c o n f u s i n g t h e p a r t y r a n k and f i l e . Benediktov w a s r e p o r t e d i r r i t a t e d o v e r p r e s s r e p o r t s comparing t h e welcome accorded Khrushchev on h i s l a s t v i s i t u n f a v o r a b l y w i t h t h a t g i v e n . p r e s i d e n t Eisenhower now. T h e r e is no e v i d e n c e , however, t h a t h e suggested . t h a t t h e CPI p u b l i c l y r e v e r s e its appraisal 2f t h e m o t i v e s of t h e Eisenhower v i s i t . On 15 December however, a CCP " a n a l y s i s " of t h e Eisenhower j o u r n e y w a s r e p o r t e d r e c e i v e d by t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t ; it was s a i d t o emphasize t h a t t h e P r e s i d e n t ' s "peace t a l k " w a s f a l s e and t h a t t h e r e a l p u r pose of h i s t r i p w a s t o d i s c u s s m i l i t a r y and d e f e n s e matters w i t h h i s a l l i e s , as e x e m p l i f i e d by h i s t a l k s i n P a k i - s t a n . The next day t h e s e c r e t a r i a t m e t - - t h i s t i m e w i t h o u t Ghosh, who was now i n t h e h o s p i t a l - - r e v i e w e d t h e matter, and i s s u e d a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t denouncing t h e Eisenhower v i s i t a l o n g l i n e s s i m i l a r t o those s a i d t o have been c o n t a i n e d i n t h e Chinese a n a l y s i s . T h i s C P I s t a t e m e n t was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e 20 December New Age, together w i t h a n o t h e r l o n g a r t i c l e a t tackling t h e E s Z E n t as t h e "Voice of B i g B u s i n e s s . " Also i n t h i s i s s u e of -N e w Age--and once a g a i n t e s t i f y i n g t o *he growing p r o - C C P o r i e n t a t i o n of t h e l e f t i s t C e n t r a l Secret a r i a t members--was an e d i t o r i a l on t h e 80th a n n i v e r s a r y of S t a l i n ' s b i r t h d a y t a k i n g a b a s i c a l l y p r o - S t a l i n l i n e much closer t o t h a t of t h e commentary p u b l i s h e d i n P e o p l e ' s D a i l y on t h i s o c c a s i o n than-& t h a t of t h e f a i r l y c r i t i c a l e d i m x l published i n Pravda.

78

. .

..

.:

. .
.

. .

V.

CPI mD IH . SINO-SOVIET POLEMIC: I E

.-

1960.
~

I n 1960 t h e S o v i e t and Chinese p a r t i e s came i n t o open and repeated c o n f l i c t , and t h i s c o n f l i c t was t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o an o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u g g l e w i t h i n t h e world Communist movement in which both s i d e s e v e n t u a l l y found t h e m s e l v e s app e a l i n g t o t h e l o y a l t i e s of t h e key leaders of each of t h e p r i n c i p a l Communist p a r t i e s of t h e world. Although t h e CPSU, b e c a u s e of its fears of p r e c i p i t a t i n g a formal s c h i s m in t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , f o r a l o n g t i m e l e f t t h e C P I o u t of i t s e f f o r t s t o mobilize f o r e i g n Communist s u p p o r t a g a i n s t Peiping--and even attempted t o c o n t i n u e t o deny t o t h e CPI t h e r e a l i t y of t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e - - t h e I n d i a n p a r t y e a e n t u a l l y had t o be drawn i n t o t h a t d i s p u t e , if o n l y b e c a u s e bloc p o l i c y toward I n d i a was one of t h e k e y matters a t i s s u e between Moscow and P e i p i n g . C P I r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s t o o k p a r t i n t h e S i n o - S o v i e t c o n f r o n t a t i o n s which took place i n P e i p i n g and B u c h a r e s t i n J u n e , i n Hanoi i n September, and i n Moscow i n October and November. The I n d i a n p a r t y w a s f o r m a l l y a p p r a i s e d o f t h e Soviet p o s i t i o n in a CPSU l e t t e r t o t h e p a r t y c e n t e r i n August, and w a s g i v e n a Chinese r e p l y m o r e i n d i r e c t l y t h r o u g h West Bengal c h a n n e l s t h e n e x t month. Under t h e impact of these e v e n t s , t h e r i g h t i s t CPI leaders pressed an o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t l e f t i s t f a c t i o n p o s i t i o n s , which t h e y were a n x i o u s t o i d e n t i f y c l e a r l y w i t h CCP r e s i s t a n c e t o CPSU a u t h o r i t y ; t h e l e f t i s t s i n t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y machinery, f o r t h e i r p a r t , were anxious t o deny t h e i r own e s t r a n g e m e n t from t h e CPSU by denying as l o n g as t h e y c o u l d t h e r e a l i t y of Sino-Soviet d i f f e r e n c e s . When a c l e a r c u t choice w a s f i n a l l y posed i n September, v a c i l l a t i n g and o p p o r t u n i s t i c C P I leaders (the m a j o r i t y ) swung t o t h e r i g h t i s t s i d e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e CPSU, and t h e C P I p a s s e d a secret r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g P e i p i n g and s u p p o r t i p g Moscow. P a s s a g e of t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s r e s i s t e d by t h e l e f t i s t C P I n a t i o n a l leaders, however, and w a s b i t t e r l y denounced by l e f t - f a c t i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s i n t h e p r o v i n c e s t h r o u g h o u t Ind i a . One i m p o r t a n t p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n , i n West Bengal, went so far as t o pass a c o u n t e r - r e s o l u t i o n d i r e c t l y a t t a c k i n g t h e c o n d u c t of t h e CPSU and Ehrushchev by name and s u p p o r t i n g P e i p i n g - - t h e o n l y s u c h r e s o l u t i o n d e f i n i t e l y known

- 79

..

' I

t o have been p a s s e d i n any Communist p a r t y i n t h e world.* While t h e d e l e g a t i o n l e d by Ghosh t o Moscow s u p p o r t e d Khrushchev DE most i s s u e s d u r i n g t h e November c o n f e r e n c e o f Communist p a r t i e s , Khrushchev's e v e n t u a l r e t r e a t a t t h a t c o n f e r e n c e on t h e c r u c i a l i s s u e of d i s c i p l i n e w i t h i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement--together w i t h t h e i n c l u s i o n of many C h i n e s e p o s i t i o n s i n t h e ambiguous doeument produced by t h e c o n f e r e n c e - - s e r v e d t o encourage t h e CPI l e f t i s t s g e n e r a l l y and t o l e a v e t h o s e of them who had o p e n l y defied t h e CPSU unrebuked and more f i r m l y e n t r e n c h e d t h a n before.
A.

. .

S o v i e t Moves i n E a r l v 1960

I n t h e months i m m e d i a t e l y p r e c e d i n g t h e o u t b r e a k of open Sino-Soviet p o l e m i c s i n A p r i l 1960, t h e CPSU a p p e a r s t o have made f u r t h e r e f f o r t s t o i m p r e s s its p o s i t i o n on t h e CPI and t o m a i n t a i n t h e good w i l l of t h e I n d i a n government. Accordi n g t o one r e p o r t t h e CPI on 1 2 January received Irom tne s o v i e t p'arty a t t e m p t i n g a t some l e n g t h t o j u s t i f y S o v i e t economic a i d t o I n d i a on t h e g r o u n d s t h a t Nehru was a l i b e r a l democrat whose f o r e i g n p o l i c y u p t o now had been p r o g r e s s i v e ; S o v i e t economic a s s i s t a n c e w a s d e p i c t e d as h e l p i n g him t o m a i n t a i n his ' * p r o g r e s s i v e " n e u t r a l i t y as f a r as p o s s i b l e , and t h e maintenance of t h i s n e u t r a l i t y , s a i d t h e CPSU, " w i l l be a major f a c t o r f o r b u i l d i n g t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e s o c i a l i s t forces i n I n d i a . " Whether o r n o t t h i s r e p o r t is a c c u r a t e , it seems l i k e l y from t h e c o n d u c t of t h e CPI l e a d e r s h i p a f t e r t h e Kerala elect i o n s i n e a r l y F e b r u a r y t h a t t h e CPSU had been i n some form of c o n t a c t w i t h t h e C P I i n J a n u a r y t o exercise a r e s t r a i n i n g i n f l u e n c e once more. I n t h o s e e l e c t i o n s , t h e Communist p a r t y was defeated i n its b i d to r e t u r n t o o f f i c e by an anti-Cornm u n i s t a l l i a n c e , y e t i n c r e a s e d its p o p u l a r v o t e and i t s p e r c e n t a g e of t h e t o t a l v o t e . The CPI was r e p o r t e d d i v i d e d as t o how t o i n t e r p r e t t h i s , w i t h t h e l e f t i s t s a p p a r e n t l y a g a i n s e e k i n g t o deny t h e u s e f u l n e s s of t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y approach. B e f o r e t h e e l e c t i o n s , i n a p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n on 26 J a n u a r y ,
* I t is q u i t e p o s s i b l e , of course, t h a t s u c h A y ]resolut i o n s were p a s s e d by t h e C h i n e s e , A l b a n i a n , an p e r a p s a l s o t h e Malayan and B u r m e s e p a r t i e s .

80

Basavapunniah had p r e d i c t e d a Kerala e l e c t i o n defeat and had a s s e r t e d t h a t s u c h a d e f e a t would be s a l u t a r y f o r t h e CPI i n t h a t it might t e a c h t h e p a r t y a l e s s o n r e g a r d i n g t h e " i l l u s i o n " of p a r l i a m e n t a r y democracy. Y e t on 5 F e b r u a r y , when t h e f i n a l r e s u l t s became known, t h e C P I C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t i s s u e d a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t s a y i n g t h a t t h e p a r t y had "no h e s i t a t i o n i n a c c e p t i n g t h e r e s u l t s of t h e e l e c t i o n s i n a t r u l y democratic s p i r i t , '' w h i l e t h e s e c r e t a r i a t of t h e Kerala p a r t y declared t h a t t h e CPI i n Kerala w o u l d " p l a y its r o l e as a c o n s t r u c t i v e and r e s p o n s i b l e o p p o s i t i o n . I.' The a d o p t i o n of t h i s p o s t u r e i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e m o d e r a t e s had been a b l e t o p r e d o m i n a t e a t t h i s p o i n t , presumably w i t h CPSU a s s i s t a n c e . The r a n c o r of t h e l e f t i s t s , however, w a s made e v i d e n t i n a March a r t i c l e on t h e e l e c t i o n s by Ranadive i n t h e monthly New Age. Ranadive noted t h a t the party, "taking t h e realities X t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n , ' ' had s t a t e d t h a t it would work as a cons t r u c t i v e o p p o s i t i o n p a r t y , b u t a t t h e same t i m e was a t p a i n s t o l i n k Nehru p e r s o n a l l y w i t h a l l t h e most n e f a r i o u s and r e a c t i o n a r y a c t i v i t i e s of t h e Kerala anti-Communist a l l i a n c e which e n a b l e d t h a t a l l i a n c e t o defeat t h e CPI. Warsaw P a c t Meeting and Khrushchev V i s i t : A t a b o u t t h e same t i m e t h a t t h e CPI w a s t h u s r e a c t i n g t o its defeat i n Kerala i n e a r l y F e b r u a r y , Khrushchev was r e p o r t e d l y l a u n c h i n g a f a i r l y s t r o n g a t t a c k on P e i p i n g ' s p o l i c y toward I n d i a i n a s p e e c h before a Warsaw P a c t m e e t i n g i n Moscow. I Khrushchev b o r d e r had created t e n s i o n d u r i n g a p e r i o d of i n t e r n a t i o n a l d e t e n t e , and t h a t as a r e s u l t a great deal of s u p p o r t f o r t h e Communist cause i n t h e n e u t r a l i s t c o u n t r i e s of Asia had been f o r f e i t e d . T h i s i n d i c t m e n t is known t o have been g r e a t l y e l a b o r a t e d by t h e CPSU i n c o n f r o n t a t i o n s w i t h t h e CCP l a t e r i n t h e y e a r . I t was a t t h i s F e b r u a r y Warsaw P a c t m e e t i n g t h a t t h e CPR r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , Kang Sheng, is b e l i e v e d to have had t h e first of t h e Chinese p e r s o n a l a l t e r c a t i o n s w i t h Khrushchev i n 1960 o v e r d i f f e r e n c e s on f o r e i g n p o l i c y ; moreover, P e i p i n g s u b s e q u e n t l y t o o k t h e u n p r e c e d e n t e d s t e p of p u b l i s h i n g a s a n i t i z e d v e r s i o n of g a n g ' s s p e e c h r e v e a l i n g its d i s s e n t i n g view of d i s armament, r e d u c t i o n of t e n s i o n s , and o t h e r q u e s t i o n s .
A week a f t e r t h i s m e e t i n g , Khrushchev v i s i t e d I n d i a , p r e ceded by f u r t h e r S o v i e t - i n s p i r e d r e p o r t s i n t i m a t i n g h i s a n x i e t y t o heal Sino-Indian d i f f e r e n c e s . (Thus t h e S o v i e t home s e r v i c e

81

t h e n o t i o n t h a t t h e USSR c o u l d e x e r t - s i g n i f i c a n t i n f l u e n c e on P e i p i n g ( a n o t i o n which t h e S o v i e t government and B l i t z had It is p o s s i b l e t h a t been e a g e r t o promote t h e y e a r b e f o r e ) . bokh v e r s i o n s were correct, and t h a t Khrushchev, w h i l e d e p l o r i n g t h e Chinese a c t i o n s , now d e n i e d any c a p a b i l i t y t o change P e i p i n g ' s s t a n d and a t t e m p t e d t o p e r s u a d e Nehru t o a c c e p t t h e CPR o f f e r t o t r a d e r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e MacMahon l i n e f o r t h e a c c e p t a n c e of some C h i n e s e claims in Ladakh. T h a t t h e CPR was i n t e n t on m a i n t a i n i n g t h i s stand--and may have been a p p r i s e d i n advance of t h e p o s i t i o n Khrushchev i n t e n d e d t o take w i t h Nehru--was i n d i c a t e d by a n o t e t h e CPI s e c r e t a r i a t r e c e i v e d from t h e Chinese p a r t y on t h e eve of Khrushchev's v i s i t , u r g i n g t h e CPI once more t o p r e p a r e t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c f o r a s e t t l e m e n t a l o n g t h e l i n e s advocated by P e i p i n g . On 27 F e b r u a r y , a f t e r Khrushchev had l e f t , t h e CPI s e c r e t a r i a t r e c e i v e d a n o t h e r n o t e t h r o u g h t h e Chinese embassy w i t h a copy of Chou's r e p l y t o Nehru a c c e p t i n g t h e i n v i t a t i o n t o I n d i a . When Chou a c t u a l l y v i s i t e d N e w D e l h i i n l a t e A p r i l , however, t h e c o n c e s s i o n s by Nehru which t h e CPR may'have a n t i c i p a t e d d i d n o t materialize, and t h e CPI w a s a d v i s e d by t h e Chin e s e d e l e g a t i o n t h a t Nehru was under s u c h great p r e s s u r e f r o m r i g h t i s t l e a d e r s t h a t h e c o u l d n o t act i n d e p e n d e n t l y .

.
...
.

82

-*m

..

..

: *

B.

P e i p i n g ' S L e n i n A n n i v e r s a r y Articles
I

I n A p r i l 1960 t h e CCP opened a massive p u b l i c o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t t h e CPSU f o r e i g n p o l i c y l i n e t h r o u g h f o u r key statements t i e d t o t h e a n n i v e r s a r y of L e n i n ' s b i r t h : an a r t i c l e i n t h e 1 A p r i l Red F l a g s i g n e d by Yu Chao-li (a pseudonym), a n o t h e r i n t h e =-April Red - F l a g s i g n e d by t h e j o u r n a l ' s e d i t o r i a l d e p a r t m e n t , a P e o p l e ' s D a i l y a r t i c l e on 22 A p r i l , and a s p e e c h by propaganda department d i r e c t o r Lu T i n g - i t h e same day. C e n t r a l t o t h e many i m p l i c i t i n d i c t m e n t s l e v e l e d a t S o v i e t p o 2 i c y i n t h e s e s t a t e m e n t s was t h e theme t h a t t h e p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e as e n u n c i a t e d by Khrushchev was dampening t h e m i l i t a n c y of r e v o l u t i o n a r y forces t h r o u g h o u t t h e world.
The p u b l i c a t i o n of these s t a t e m e n t s had an e l e c t r i f y i n g e f f e c t on a l l f a c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y . In Bombay, a l l i s s u e s of t h e A p r i l P e k i p g Review c o n t a i n i n g t h e f i r s t R e d F l a g a r t i c l e were reportea m y bought up by C P I P u n a o n a r i e s ; t h e a r t i c l e w a s termed a "bombshellrt f o r t h e CPI. Its e f f e c t w i t h i n t h e r i g h t i s t - d o m i n a t e d CPI M a h a r a s h t r a P r o v i n c i a l Council was r e p o r t e d l y t o weaken t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e l e f t i s t f a c t i o n s t i l l f u r t h e r , s i n c e t h e a r t i c l e was r e c o g n i z e d t o be a " t h i n l y - v e i l e d a t t a c k " on Khrushchev's p e a c e f u l coe x i s t e n c e l i n e . On t h e o t h e r hand, among t h e l e f t i s t s i n t h e p a r t y C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t - - R a n a d i v e , Basavapunniah, and Bhupesh Gupta--the a r t i c l e was warmly welcomed; t h i s group w a s s a i d t o have immediately d e c i d e d t o use t h e Red F l a g arguments t o s u p p o r t e f f o r t s t o modify a d r a f t p o l i t 3 Z S l r e s o l u t i o n t o be c o n s i d e r e d by t h e C P I N a t i o n a l Council i n May. The i n f l u e n c e of t h i s a r t i c l e seemed t o be r e f l e c t e d i n a n a r t i c l e Ranadive wrote i n t h e 24 A p r i l Ne w Age on t h e L e n i n a n n i v e r s a r y : Ranadive p u t h i s e m p h a G o n L e n i n ' s c a l l f o r m i l i t a n t and " i r r e c o n c i l a b l e " s t r u g g l e and L e n i n ' s f i g h t a g a i n s t "reformist and r e v i s i o n i s t d i s t o r t i o n of Marxism," and f a i l e d t o mention Khrushchev's name. I n c o n t r a s t , a n a r t i c l e by Ghosh on t h e same s u b j e c t i n t h e same i s s u e of N e w Age p a i d r e p e a t e d t r i b u t e t o Khrushchev, t o Khrushchev's v i s i t % I n d i a , to the s p i r i t of Camp David and t h e need f o r n e g o t i a t i o n s .

I
I . .

I
I

'

I
. I

I1
I

i
I

Basavapunniah, however, seems t o have r e a c t e d r a t h e r n a i v e l y t o t h e C h i n e s e o f f e n s i v e , assuming, o n t h e b a s i s of t h e f i r s t Red F l a g a r t i c l e , t h a t it meant n o t t h a t t h e CCP was

--

83

'.'. . ,

.I.

... , . . ..

a t t a c k i n g t h e CPSU b u t r a t h e r t h a t P e i p i n g and Moscow were t o g e t h e r b e g i n n i n g a n o t h e r campaign a g a i n s t r e v i s i o n i s m . He was encouraged i n t h i s view by MOSCOW'S continued r e l u c t a n c e to worsen CPI f a c t i o n a l i s m by a d m i t t i n g t h e existence of a Moscow-Peiping s t r u g g l e , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h i s s t r u g g l e had now come o u t i n t o t h e o p e n . During t h e t h i r d week of A p r i l Basavapunniah was r e p o r t e d t o have made t h e r o u n d s of b l o c embassies in New D e l h i a p p e a l i n g f o r s u p p o r t f o r h i s f a c t i o n . On t h e 2 4 t h , h e w a s s a i d t o have had a j o i n t meeti n g w i t h S o v i e t embassy c o u n s e l o r Romanovskiyand C h i n e s e embassy f i r s t s e c r e t a r y M Mu-ming. a He r e p o r t e d l y t o l d t h e s e gentlemen t h a t h e was v e r y happy w i t h t h e 1 A p r i l Red F l a g a r t i c l e as it would h e l p t h e CPI i n its f i g h t a g a i z Xs i o n i s m , and a p p e a l e d f o r more s u c h i n t e r v e n t i o n by t h e Sov i e t and C h i n e s e p a r t i e s i n a i d of h i s f a c t i o n . According t o t h e v e r s i o n o f t h e i n t e r v i e w Basavapunniah l a t e r r e p e a t e d , b o t h Romanovskiy and M "welcomed t h i s s u g g e s t i o n , m and a Romanovskiy o f f e r e d innocuous r e a s o n s t o e x p l a i n t h e a p p a r e n t s l i g h t d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e S o v i e t and Chinese approach i n Asia.*

Later, i n A p r i l , a f t e r t h e second Red F l a g a r t i c l e ent o . him, Basavapunniah n o t e d i n a p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n t h e c o n f u s i o n which he t h o u g h t e x i s t e d i n t h e CPI on t h e s u b j e c t of t h i s a r t i c l e ; many I n d i a n Communists, he s a i d , had drawn t h e conc l u s i o n t h a t t h e r e w a s a d e e p i d e o l o g i c a l c o n t r o v e r s y between t h e CCP and t h e CPSU. Basavapunniah declared h i s i n t e n t i o n t o " e x p l a i n " a t t h e f o r t h c o m i n g N a t i o n a l Council m e e t i n g t h a t there w a s no c o n t r o v e r s y b u t o n l y ''a difference i n approach and i n t h e i r a t t i t u d e toward j u d g i n g s i t u a t i o n s . " He a l s o disclosed, however, h i s i n t e n t i o n t o d i s t r i b u t e t o t h e N a t i o n a l Council members c o p i e s of t h e "Long L i v e Leninism" a r t i c l e which h e had had made.
t i t l e d "Long L i v e Leninism" had b e c o m e - a m l e

*While it would have been q u i t e i n c h a r a c t e r f o r Basavapunn i a h t o have i n v e n t e d t h i s i n t e r v i e w , its c r e d i b i l i t y is enhanced by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e CPSU a p p a r e n t l y a d v i s e d Ghosh and o t h e r n o n - l e f t i s t C I leaders d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d t o c o n t i n u e P t o deny t o t h e p a r t y t h e r e a l i t y of Sino-Soviet d i f f e r e n c e s .

- a4

mTD

. .

'

' .

I n a d d i t i o n t o p r o d u c i n g a g a l v a n i z i n g e f f e c t on t h e C P I l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s t h r o u g h t h e p u b l i c a t i o n of t h e A p r i l documents, t h e CCP a p p e a r s t o have o f f e r e d direct c o v e r t g u i dance t o t h o s e leaders d u r i n g t h e same p e r i o d . On 25 A p r i l , Ranadive was r e p o r t e d t o have had a h a l f - h o u r m e e t i n g w i t h Chen Y i , -yho was i n New D e l h i a s p a r t of t h e Chou m i s s i o n ; t h i s w a s s a i d t o have been t h e o n l y c o n t a c t between t h e C P I and t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n . Ranadive a t t h i s m e e t i n g w a s r e p o r t e d l y g i v e n a document c o n t a i n i n g P e i p i n g ' s a s s e s s m e n t of t h e p o l i t i c a l s c e n e i n I n d i a and i n Asia g e n e r a l l y . T h i s document a p p a r e n t l y r e i t e r a t e d CCP warnings on t h e growth o f " r i g h t r e a c t i o n " i n I n d i a and s t r e s s e d t h a t Nehru was u n d e r c o n s t a n t p r e s s u r e from t h e r i g h t i s t group i n s i d e t h e Congress p a r t y , and t h a t he was n o t t h e same man h e was a f e w y e a r s ago and c o u l d - n o l o n g e r make an i n d e p e n d e n t d e c i s i o n . O t h e r i n f o r m a t ion on t h i s document is l a c k i n g The May C P I Meetings: The CPI C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committ e e m e t i n C a l c u t t a from 3 t o 6 May, and t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l t h e f o l l o w i n g week. In t h e m i d s t of t h e i r d e l i b e r a t i o n s , t h e p a r t y leaders were confronked by t h e s p e c t a c l e o f t h e 8 May - Age weekly, which c a r r i e d w i t h o u t comment l e n g t h y extracts New f r o m x t h (a) t h e 22 A p r i l Lu T i n g - y i Lenin Day s p e e c h i n P e i p i n g and (b) t h e Kuusinen address i n Moscow on t h e same day p r o v i d i n g t h e first major S o v i e t p u b l i c r e s p o n s e t o t h e CCP. The d e c i s i o n t o p u b l i s h b o t h s p e e c h e s was r e p o r t e d l y made by N e w Age u n d e r l i n g s i n New D e l h i who had been p l a c e d i n a qua*yt h e a b s e n c e of t h e p a r t y l e a d e r s . However, when d e l e g a t e s a t t h e C a l c u t t a m e e t i n g i n t h e i r s p e e c h e s c i t e d t h i s and o t h e r e v i d e n c e t o d e m o n s t r a t e t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a Sino-Soviet c o n f l i c t , t h e y were r e p o r t e d l y rebuked by Ghosh, who c h a r a c t e r i z e d such i n s i n u a t i o n s as i n s p i r e d propaganda. T h i s Ghosh l i n e w a s i n a c c o r d w i t h i n s t r u c t i o n s p a s s e d by S o v i e t Embassy C o u n s e l o r Yefimov o n 4 May t o N i k h i l C h a k r a v a r t h y , manager of t h e Communist I n d i a n Press Agency: Yefimov was s a i d t o have declared t h a t t h e theme of Sino-Soviet d i f f e r e n c e s was b e i n g e x p l o i t e d by p e o p l e who hoped t o create conf u s i o n i n t h e minds of C P I m e m b e r s , t h a t t h e IPA s h o u l d i n crease its propaganda a g a i n s t , t h i s c o n f u s i o n t a c t i c ; . and t h a t he mould s u p p l y propaganda material f o r t h i s purpose from t h e S o v i e t embassy.

4 '

I.

'

t r u e of t h e l e f t f a c t i o n .

85

t h e l e f t i s t s had become much more a g g r e s s i v e i n p u s h i n g t h e i r p o i n t of view and much more t i g h t l y o r g a n i z e d as a f a c t i o n . (This f a c t i o n a l d i s c i p l i n e w a s t o become i n c r e a s i n g l y a p p a r e n t i n subsequent p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y meetings; t h u s a t a meeting i n Yaharashtra a month l a t e r it w a s reported t h a t t h e l e f t i s t s had m e t b e f o r e h a n d t o agree on t h e i r l i n e and t a c t i c s and t o decide who would s p e a k o n e a c h q u e s t i o n , ) The i n c r e a s e i n l e f t i s t s e n t b e n t a t t h e C a l c u t t a meetings w a s i n p a r t att r i b u t a b l e t o f o r t u i t o u s e v e n t s which had aided t h e l e f t i s t anti-Nehru a t t i t u d e : N e h r u ' s f a i l u r e t o yield t o Chou d u r i n g t h e New D e l h i border t a l k s , t h e s t a t e m e n t s s t r o n g l y c r i t i c a l of China which Nehru had made a t a s u b s e q u e n t v i s i t t o London, and t h e announcement of a U.S.-Xndian g r a i n deal. But i n large measure t h e i n c r e a s e in l e f t i s t a g g r e s s i v e n e s s must be a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e s t r o n g open and c m e r t ideological s u p p o r t t h e extremist CPI f a c t i o n had j u s t r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e Chinese p a r t y .

As one r e s u l t , t h e May N a t i o n a l Council m e e t i n g w a s unable t o r e s o l v e t h e r u n n i n g d i s p u t e in t h e p a r t y o v e r t h e l i n e t o be t a k e n toward Nehru and t h e Amritsar t h e s i s ; moveover, t h e m e e t i n g w a s u n a b l e t o accept t h e ambiguous b u t l a r g e l y r i g h t i s t d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n p r e p a r e d by t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee t h e month b e f o r e . The q u e s t i o n of t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s p u t off, w i t h opposing views c i r c u l a t e d f o r g e n e r a l d i s c u s s i o n by a l l p a r t y members, and w a s n o t t o be decided u n t i l t h e p a r t y congress t h e following A p r i l .
Meanwhile Ghosh, who had resumed t h e p o s t of g e n e r a l secr e t a r y i n F e b r u a r y , w a s again g i v e n l e a v e f o r three months by t h e p a r t y b e c a u s e of i l l n e s s , and w a s t e m p o r a r i l y replaced by Namboodiripad. Ghosh, who had i n t h e past o f t e h used h i s ilXn e s s e s as c o v e r f o r t f i p s ' f o r " t r e a t m e n t " t o t h e USSR, w a s reported p l a n n i n g s u c h a t r i p i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e . O t h e r r e p o r t s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e CPI w a s p l a n n i n g t o s e n d a s m a l l d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e USSR i n c o n s p i c u o u s l y f o r g u i d a n c e , and Ghosh may have u n d e r t a k e n s u c h a t r i p i n l a t e May. May C o n t a c t With C h i n e s e Embassy: On 2 1 May, two weeks a f t e r t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l meeting, Ranadive s e n t an i n t e r mediary t o meet w i t h t h e Counselor of t h e Chinese Embassy, Yeh Cheng-chang, a t t h e l a t t e r ' s request. Among o t h e r t h i n g s , Yeh was r e p o r t e d t o have i n q u i r e d as t o t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c ' s r e a c t i o n t o t h e f a i l u r e of t h e summit meeting, and was t o l d t h a t t h e p u b l i c was blaming b o t h t h e United S t a t e s and Ehrus h c h e v . Yeh remarked t h a t t h e U-2 i n c i d e n t had proved t h e

86

-.I
I

- O T

Chinese Communist t h e s i s t h a t Leninism would n e v e r be outmoded l o n g as i m p e r i a l i s m remained i n t h e world, and added t h a t t h e Chinese knew t h a t t h e r e would n e v e r be a successful s u m m i t . The C h i n e s e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a s k e d R a n a d i v e ' s i n t e r m e d i a r y f o r h i s r e a c t i o n t o t h e "Long L i v e Leninism" a r t i c l e , and was t o l d t h a t t h e a r t i c l e p r o v i d e d a good warning a g a i n s t t h e r e v i s i o n ist t r e n d s " d e v e l o p i n g i n some Communist p a r t i e s Following t h e l i n e t a k e n by t h e C h i n e s e leaders i n t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h Ghosh i n P e i p i n g in O c t o b e r 1959, Yeh t o l d R a n a d i v e ' s man t h a t Nehru was t h e best r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t h e Asian n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e c o u l d have found t o implement G h a n d i ' s i d e o l o g y , which'qYeh.?said was p r i m a r i l y d e s i g n e d t o h e l p c h e c k t h e s p r e a d of Communism i n Asia. T u r n i n g t o t h e b o r d e r i s s u e , Yeh r e p e a t ed t h e CCP l i n e t h a t a " l i t t l e bunch of people" i n I n d i a were t r y i n g t o e x p l o i t t h e Sino-Indian c o n f l i c t t o d i v e r t a t t e n t i o n from t h e d o m e s t i c economic crisis. C i t i n g , s i g n i f i c a n t l y , West Bengal a s h i s example, h e claimed t h a t a r e c e n t C a l c u t t a p a r l i a m e n t a r y b y - e l e c t i o n which had been won by a Communist had shown how l i t t l e t h e b o r d e r i s s u e had a f f e c t e d t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c ; i n West Bengal, Yeh s a i d , t h e p e o p l e were "hungry f o r bread" and cared f o r l i t t l e else.
SO

."

i
.,

The impact of C h i n e s e views upon t h e West Bengal p a r t y h i n t e d a t by Yeh w a s o n c e a g a i n d e m o n s t r a t e d a few d a y s a f t e r t h e Yeh i n t e r v i e w , d u r i n g an i n f o r m a l g a t h e r i n g of p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y leaders i n C a l c u t t a . West Bengal CP S e c r e t a r y J y o t i Basu, commenting o n t h e f a i l u r e of t h e summit c o n f e r e n c e , was s a i d t o have d e c l a r e d t h a t e v e n t s had shown t h a t t h e Chinese p a r t y had been correct a l l a l o n g i n its l i n e toward t h e United S t a t e s . Basu r e p o r t e d l y added t h a t t h e CPI had made a great m i s t a k e i n n o t a c t i v e l y o p p o s i n g Eisenhower's December v i s i t t o I n d i a , and p o a n t e d t o t h e good p o l i t i c a l c a p i t a l b e i n g made by t h e J a p a n e s e p a r t y i n f i g h t i n g now a g a i n s t a s i m i l a r E i s e n hower v i s i t t o J a p a n . J o l y K a u l , a n o t h e r prominent l e f t i s t , s t a t e d a t t h e same m e e t i n g t h a t he agreed t h a t t h e Chinese Communist P a r t y h a d shown much p o l i t i c a l acumen and t h a t Chin e s e t h e o r e t i c i a n s had emerged as t h e r e a l l e a d e r s of i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communism. K a u l was said to have urged t h a t e v e r y i m p o r t a n t West Bengal p a r t y leader be r e q u i r e d t o s t u d y caref u l l y t h e recent w r i t i n g s and s p e e c h e s of t h e C h i n e s e l e a d e r s - r e f e r r i n g , presumably, t o t h e "Long L i v e Leninism" documents. I t is n o t known whether o r n o t t h i s s u g g e s t i o n was carried o u t , b u t it w i l l be recalled t h a t p r e p a r a t i o n o f a s i m i l a r program t o i m p a r t l t h e wisdom o f t h e CCP t o West Bengal c a d r e s had been r e p o r t e d i n December 1959.

87

. t ..

'

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e May m e e t i n g w i t h Yeh Cheng-chang, t o R a n a d i v e ' s i n t e r v i e w w i t h C h e n Y P t h e month b e f o r e , and t o t h e two CCP n o t e s t o t h e CPI i n F e b r u a r y on t h e Chou v i s i t , a t l e a s t two o t h e r communications between t h e I n d i a n and Chinese p a r t i e s i n t h e first f i v e months of 1960 have been r e p o r t e d . On 10 A p r i l , l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s were s a i d t o have f u r n i s h e d t o both t h e S o v i e t and C h i n e s e embassies t e x t s of t h e C P I ' s p r e d o m i n a n t l y r i g h t i s t d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n w i t h app r o p r i a t e u n s p e c i f i e d " e x p l a n a t i o n s ; " and in e a r l y May, Ranad i v e r e p o r t e d l y forwarded t o P e i p i n g and Moscow c o p i e s of a s t a t e - b y - s t a t e s u r v e y of t h e composition o f t h e CPI which t h e Chinese p a r t y had a p p a r e n t l y been the f i r s t t o r e q u e s t , t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r . T h e r e is t h u s good e v i d e n c e o f a s t e a d i l y improving C h i n e s e " p r e s e n c e " in t h e c e n t r a l CPI a p p a r a t u s as second a u t h o r i t a t i v e c e n t e r t o which to r e p o r t and f r o m which t o r e c e i v e guidance.
C.

.. .

The WFTU C l a s h i n P e i D i n a

The second major e v e n t i n t h e 1960 s t r u g g l e between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP t o o k p l a c e a t t h e W T m e e t i n g i n P e i p i n g i n FU t h e f i r s t week of J u n e , where t h e Chinese p a r t y broke Communist d i s c i p l i n e by o p e n l y l o b b y i n g among b o t h p a r t y and nonp a r t y f o r e i g n d e l e g a t e s i n an a t t e m p t t o get WFTU t o abandon t h e S o v i e t l i n e on disarmament, w a r , and t h e n a t u r e of i m p e r i alism. T h i s P e i p i n g e f f o r t t o impose its l i n e on WETU app a r e n t l y won v a r y i n g degrees of s u p p o r t f r o m a c o n s i d e r a b l e number of t h e d e l e g a t e s , b u t was e v e n t u a l l y s u b s t a n t i a l l y defeated as a r e s u l t o f t h e o p p o s i t i o n of t h e CPSU d e l e g a t i o n l e d by t r a d e u n i o n c h i e f Grishin--only, however, a f t e r a f u r i o u s b a t t l e among t h e d e l e g a t e s i n which a l l t h e CPSU's l a t e n t s t r e n g t h w i t h i n WFTU was c a l l e d i n t o p l a y . There is r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e c u r r e n t leader of t h e r i g h t - w i n g f a c t i o n w i t h i n t h e CPI, S. A. Dange, p l a y e d an i m p o r t a n t p a r t i n t h i s CPSU c o u n t e r a t t a c k . Dange--who had ass a . i l e d t h e CPR o v e r t h e b o r d e r i s s u e b e f o r e p a r t y m e e t i n g s and i n p u b l i c d u r i n g t h e f a l l of 1959, and who had r e p o r t e d l y r e f u s e d t o go t o P e i p i n g w i t h t h e CPI d e l e g a t i o n f o r t h e October 1959 Chinese a n n i v e r s a r y celebration--came t o P e i p i n g i n J u n e 1960 i n h i s d u a l c a p a c i t y as l e a d e r of t h e Communist-dominated I n d i a n t r a d e union f e d e r a t i o n and v i c e - p r e s i d e n t of WFTU. While P e i p i n g p u b l i s h e d a h i g h l y e d i t e d v e r s i o n of t h e WFTU

88

- m *

. '
-.

. .
I '

..*

. .

p r o c e e d i n g s s t r e s s i n g t h o s e s p e e c h e s (and p o r t i o n s of s p e e c h e s ) which had s u p p o r t e d t h e Chinese l i n e , t h e NCNA a c c o u n t s s e v e r e l y c u t t h e s p e e c h e s of d e l e g a t e s (such as t h e I t a l i a n s and P o l e s ) who are known t o have backed t h e CPSU--and f u r n i s h e d no h i n t of a s p e e c h by Dange a t a l l . T h i s is l i k e l y t o have been b o t h b e c a u s e Dange was p e r s o n a l l y obnoxious t o t h e CCP and b e c a u s e t h e r e w a s l i t t l e i n his s p e e c h t h a t c o u l d be p u b l i s h e d i n a s a n i t i z e d v e r s i o n ; it is a l m o s t c e r t a i n t h a t h e d i d s p e a k . V i k o r i a Foa, an I t a l i a n d e l e g a t e , r e p o r t e d i n A v a n t i on 1 4 June t h a t " t h e I n d i a n s " were among t h o s e delega-o had l i n e d up s o l i d l y w i t h t h e S o v i e t s a g a i n s t t h e C h i n e s e , h e l p i n g t o " f i g h t w i t h great e n e r g y not only i n t h e public debate, I t has a l s o been r e p o r t e d t h a t b u t a l s o i n t h e commissions." Dange p e r s o n a l l y l e d a S o v i e t - s p o n s o r e d campaign t o have deleg a t e s b o y c o t t a b a n q u e t g i v e n by Chou E n - l a i t o p r o s e l y f j z e t h e CCP v i e w p o i n t ; also, t h a t Dange c h a r g e d a t t h e WFTU meeting t h a t L i u Ning-i was t u r n i n g t h e m e e t i n g into a p o l i t i c a l forum. (Liu, t h e head o f t h e CPR trade u n i o n o r g a n i z a t i o n , had warned i n h i s 7 J u n e p u b l i c s p e e c h t o t h e m e e t i n g t h a t " i n t h e s t r u g g l e t o s a f e g u a r d p e a c e t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l working class movement s h o u l d t a k e care t h a t i t s a c t i v i t i e s h e l p and do not h i n d e r t h e s t r u g g l e , " a d d i n g t h a t "no t r a d e u n i o n org a n i z a t i o n s t r u l y r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e i n t e r e s t s of t h e working c l a s s would a l l o w s o - c a l l e d ' a i d ' by i m p e r i a l i s m t o be conf u s e d w i t h t h e u n c o n d i t i o n e d , s i n c e r e , and f r i e n d l y a s s i s t a n c e of t h e s o c i a l i s t c o u n t r i e s . " T h i s b a r b w a s p r o b a b l y d i r e c t e d p r i m a r i l y at c e r t a i n p a s t Khrushchev h i n t s t h a t Western a i d t o underdeveloped c o u n t r i e s under some c o n d i t i o n s c o u l d p l a y a u s e f u l r o l e , b u t it may a l s o have been aimed p a r t l y a t Dange and h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n . I n t h e secret r e s o l u t i o n p a s s e d by t h e CPI i n September c r i t i c i z i n g China--which Dange w a s instrument a l i n p u s h i n g through--Liu was a t t a c k e d b y name f o r h a v i n g v i o l a t e d " t h e p r i n c i p l e of the n o n p a r t y c h a r a c t e r of mass o r g a n s . 'I)

...

On 1 J u n e , s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e c l o s e of t h e W T m e e t i n g , 1 FU Basavapunniah p a s s e d t o t h e Chinese Embassy i n New D e l h i a w r i t t e n r e p o r t on Dange which t h e CCP had e v i d e n t l y requested from t h e CPI l e f t i s t s i n t h e c o u r s e of its b a t t l e w i t h him. The r e p o r t o u t l i n e d p o s i t i o n s a l l e g e d to have been t a k e n by Dange a t t h e May N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e e t i n g i n C a l c u t t a , p r o t r a y i n g him as h a v i n g urged t o l e r a n c e toward c a p i t a l i s t i n v e s t m e n t s i n I n d i a and c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e I n d i a n bourgeoisie, as havi n g emphasized d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP o n

89

..,

: . , .' .

.
,

q u e s t i o n s of war and peace, and as h a v i n g a g a i n condemned t h e CCp s t a n d on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e . While it is l i k e l y t h a t some of Dange's p o s i t i o n s were d e l i b e r a t e l y d i s t o r t e d by Basavapunn i a h f o r h i s o m p u r p o s e s , t h e mere request f o r t h i s r e p o r t w a s i n d i c a t i v e of t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y ' s a t t i t u d e toward both Dange and Basavapunniah
e

The Chinese a c t i o n i n b r i n g i n g t h e i r quarrel w i t h t h e CPSU b e f o r e a forum a t which non-party p e o p l e were r e p r e s e n t e d n o t only f u r t h e r exacerbated t h a t q u a r r e l b u t f u r n i s h e d t h e . S o v i e t p a r t y w i t h a charge a g a i n s t t h e CCP--violation of p a r t y d i s c i p l i n e - - w h i c h c o u l d be used t o some e f f e c t i n a p p e a l i n g f o r t h e s u p p o r t of t h e world movement. The CCP's b e h a v i o r a t t h e WFTU m e e t i n g was denounced ( w i t h o u t naming 'China) in a n a r t i c l e G r i s h i n w r o t e i n Trud a f t e r h i s return from P e i p i n g , in a B u l g a r i a n a r t i c l e i n q u s t , and i n Mukhitdinov's speech i n Hanoi i n September. I t was also assailed d i r e c t l y i n t h e CPSU c i r c u l a r l e t t e r s a t t a c k i n g t h e CCP d u r i n g t h e summer, and f i n a l l y a t the Moscow c o n f e r e n c e i n November, where Dange w a s r e p o r t e d l y p r e s s e d i n t o s e r v i c e as an e y e w i t n e s s t o prep a r e a memorandum documenting t h e CPSU c h a r g e s about t h e WFTU events.
D.

The B u c h a r e s t Conference and Its Aftermath

While t h e WFTU b a t t l e w a s g o i n g on i n P e i p i n g i n e a r l y June, t h e CPSU a p p e a r s t o have t a k e n i n i t i a l s t e p s in a count e r o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t t h e Chinese p a r t y . According t o a subs e q u e n t C h i n e s e account t o CPI r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , t h e CPSU s e n t two l e t t e r s t o t h e CCP Dn 2 and 7 June a t t e m p t i n g t o s e c u r e Chinese part; i c i p a t i o n i n an i n t e r n a t i o n a l m e e t i n g t o discuss o u t s t a n d i n g d i f f e r e n c e s a t t h e Rumanian p a r t y c o n g r e s s l a t e r t h a t month. / t h e CPSU also a t some t i m e before t h e B u c h a r e s t meeting s e n t a s t r o n g l y worded l e t t e r t o t h e CCP a t t a c k i n g Chinese conduct and p o l i c y o v e r a wide r a n g e of i s s u e s ; it is p o s s i b l e t h a t t h i s message w a s i d e n t i c a l w i t h one of t h e two CPSU letters of e a r l y June. Dange, who is known t o have v i s i t e d Moscow in l a t e May before g o i n g t o P e i p i n g f o r t h e WFTU meeting, s u b s e q u e n t l y r e p o r t e d t h a t he was told by a CPSU secretariat member of t h e S o v i e t i n t e n t i o n t o s e n d such a l e t t e r . Judging from r e p o r t s of a v e r s i o n of t h i s S o v i e t l e t t e r which t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n a t Bucharest a p p a r e n t l y d i s t r i b u t e d t o t h e d e l e g a t e s t h e r e i n an

90

e f f o r t t o f i x S o v i e t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e d e t e r i o r a t i o n of r e l a t i o n s between t h e p a r t i e s , t h e CPSU message c o n t a i n e d , among o t h e r t h i n g s , v e r y s h a r p charges of CCP errors i n f o r e i g n p o l i c y toward I n d i a , t o g e t h e r w i t h c o m p l a i n t s t h a t P e i p i n g ' s p o l i c y was a r o u s i n g s u s p i c i o n s of t h e Communist movement among Afro-Asian b o u r g e o i s l e a d e r s and e v o k i n g d o u b t s as t o Communist
desires f o r p e a c e . These r e p o r t e d p r i v a t e c h a r g e s a g a i n s t t h e CCP d o v e t a i l w e l l w i t h t h e p u b l i c a t t a c k s on contemporary ' W t - w i n g d e v i a t i o n i s t s " made i n t h e S o v i e t p r e s s a t a b o u t t h e same t i m e (10 J u n e ) , and c o r r e s p o n d s t i l l more c l o s e l y w i t h t h e c h a r g e s . m a d e t w o months l a t e r i n a n a r t i c l e by t h e l e a d i n g S o v i e t o r i e n t a l e x p e r t Ye. Zhukov i n P r a v d a on 26 August.

While it seems p o s s i b l e t h a t Dange w a s t e l l i n g t h e t r u t h when h e claimed to have been informed i n Moscow of t h e S o v i e t i n t e n t i o n t o s e n d a s t r o n g l e t t e r t o P e i p i n g , it is less clear w h e t h e r any CPI leaders were t o l d i n advance of S o v i e t purp o s e s a t t h e Rumanian p a r t y c o n g r e s s . Although Dange a l s o s u b s e q u e n t l y claimed t h a t he and Ghosh had been p r i v a t e l y t o l d i n l a t e May of Moscow's i n t e n t i o n to a t t a c k t h e CCP before an i n t e r n a t i o n a l g a t h e r i n g a t B u c h a r e s t , t h i s seems d o u b t f u l , i f o n l y because t h e B u c h a r e s t e v e n t s i n l a t e J u n e showed s i g n s of l a s t - m i n u t e S o v i e t p r e p a r a t i o n . I n any case, i t is c e r t a i n t h a t t h e ' S o v i e t p a r t y made no a t t e m p t i n June t o e n l i s t t h e f o r m a l s u p p o r t o f t h e CPI o r g a n i z a t i o n a g a i n s t t h e CCP, w h i l e i t d i d make s u c h e f f o r t s t o g a i n t h e b a c k i n g of other p a r t i e s . According t o one r e p o r t , t h e CPSU even s e n t a s h o r t n o t e t o t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e WFTU m e e t i n g adm i t t i n g t h a t d i f f e r e n c e s e x i s t e d between t h e Chinese and Sov i e t p a r t i e s on t h e s u b j e c t s of w a r and p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e b u t minimizing t h o s e d k f f e r e n c e s and u r g i n g t h e I n d i a n p a r t y n o t t o t a k e them s e r i o u s l y . I n c o n t r a s t , o f f i c i a l s of t h e CPSU c e n t r a l committee are known t o have d i s c u s s e d the SinoS o v i e t d i s p u t e a t l e n g t h on 13 June w i t h a group of European and A f r i c a n d e l e g a t e s t o t h e WFTU mee.l;iI;g, and t o have asked a t l e a s t one of t h e s e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s to have a plenum of h i s p a r t y ' s c e n t r a l committee convened a f t e r h i s r e t u r n home to d i s c u s s t h e WFTU m e e t i n g and t o condemn P e i p i n g . T h i s c o n t i n u e d S o v i e t e f f o r t t o i n s u l a t e t h e f r a g i l e Ind i a n p a r t y from t h e e f f e c t s of t h e d i s p u t e a p p a r e n t l y c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e s h o c k c a u s e d by t h e B u c h a r e s t p r o c e e d i n g s t o t h e two l e f t i s t s chosen t o r e p r e s e n t t h e CPI, Basavapunniah and Bhupesh Gupta. I n a d d i t i o n t o a t t e n d i n g t h e p u b l i c s e s s i o n s

91 I .
I

. .

. .

, "I:

of t h e Rumanian p a r t y c o n g r e s s , where t h e y h e a r d Khrushchev m a k e a s c a r c e l y v e i l e d a t t a c k on t h e Chinese l e a d e r s as " c h i l d r e n " who m e c h a n i c a l l y r e p e a t e d what L e n i n had s a i d o n i m p e r i a l i s m , t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t e s a t t e n d e d a series of p r i v a t e i n t e r p a r t y m e e t i n g s . The f i r s t of t h e s e t o o k p l a c e e a r l y d u r i n g t h e C o n g r e s s , when S o v i e t f u n c t i o n a r i e s g a t h e r e d t h e E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g f o r e i g n d e l e g a t e s * t o show them a CPSU l e t t e r dated 21 J u n e , v a r i o u s v e r s i o n s of which were subsequently c i r c u l a t e d t o c e r t a i n p a r t i e s . This letter w a s d i s t r i b u t e d t o t h e p a r t i c i p a t i n g delegates and t h e n t a k e n back immediately, w i t h no n o t e - t a k i n g p e r m i t t e d ; Basavapunniah l a t e r commented t h a t h e c o n s i d e r e d t h e s e s e c u r i t y measures h u m i l i a t i n g . The 21 J u n e l e t t e r c o n t a i n e d a l o n g , d e t a i l e d e x p o s i t i o n of t h e S o v i e t v e r s i o n of t h e background of t h e d i s p u t e , i n c l u d i n g c o m p l a i n t s a g a i n s t C h i n e s e conduct i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a ? f r o n t s and c h a r g e s of CCP d e v i a t i o n from mutuall y agreed p o s i t i o n s on war and peace, t h e n a t u r e of t h e p r e s e n t e r a , and t h e form of t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism. According t o a r e l i a b l e r e p o r t , t h i s l e t t e r a l s o c l a i m e d t h a t t h e CCP had charged t h e CPSU w i t h "abandoning c l a s s p o s i t i o n s " by " f l i r t i n g w i t h t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , '' and had demanded t h a t t h e - p o l i c y of g i v i n g aid t o such c o u n t r i e s a s I n d i a be r e v i s e d "because t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e of t h e s e c o u n t r i e s are n o t c a p a b l e of c a r r y i n g on t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t i m p e r i alism and are, i n f a c t , becoming i m p e r i a l i s t s themselves." The CPSU l e t t e r answered t h i s p u r p o r t e d Chinese s t a t e m e n t (which t h e CCP l a t e r c l a i m e d t o be d i s t o r t e d ) by i n s i s t i n g t h a t S o v i e t economic a i d t o t h e s e c o u n t r i e s " o b j e c t i v e l y " promotes p e a c e and weakens i m p e r i a l i s m , and by warning of t h e need n o t t o " s k i p s t a g e s i n t h e r e v o l u t i o n " - - t h a t is, n o t t o discard t h e a l l i a n c e with t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e before the t i m e was r i p e . Following t h e i r p e r u s a l of t h i s document a t t h e p r i v a t e
CPSU b r i e f i n g d u r i n g t h e c o n g r e s s , Basavapunniah and Bhupesh

I1
I

\ l

I
I

,
f

I
I

I
I

Gupta a t t e n d e d a c l o s e d m e e t i n g of some 50 Communist p a r t i e s h e l d immediately a f t e r t h e c o n c l u s i o n of t h e c o n g r e s s of 25

*The CPSU o r g a n i z e d a t l e a s t one s i m i l a r g a t h e r i n g , f o r Spanish-speaking d e l e g a t e s , and p o s s i b l y o t h e r s .

92
T

I I

and 26 June. On t h e 2 5 t h , t h e y h e a r d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of some 20 p a r t i e s s p e a k i n a g e n e r a l debate d u r i n g which most of t h e

.

s p e a k e r s s u p p o r t e d t h e S o v i e t l i n e and c r i t i c i z e d Chinese p o l i c i e s ; o n t h e same d a y , t h e C h i n e s e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e made a n i n i t i a l d e f e n s e of t h e CCP p o s i t i o n . During t h e d e b a t e on t h e f o l l o w i n g day Khrushchev made a l o n g and v i o l e n t a t t a c k on P e i p i n g p o l i c i e s and on M o p e r s o n a l l y , a s i g n i f i c a n t a p a D t i o n of which c o n c e r n e d t h e S i n o - I n d i a n q u a r r e l . Khrushchev accused t h e CCP of d e l i b e r a t e l y c r e a t i n g a c o n f l i c t w i t h I n d i a i n o r d e r t o i n j u r e t h e CPSU p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e , . of c a u s i n g t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y t o become d i s o r g a n i z e d and t o lose power i n Xerala, and of. p u s h i n g Nehru toward t h e i m p e r i a l i s t camp. He d e c l a r e d t h a t f o r - a few k i l o m e t e r s of i n s i g n i f i c a n t t e r r i t o r y China c o u l d e a s i l y have r e a c h e d a p e a c e f u l agreement w i t h I n d i a as t h e USSR had i n t h e p a s t w i t h I r a n ( r e p e a t i n g more e x p l i c i t l y t h e argument used i n h i s November 1959 i n t e r v i e w i n N e w Age). Only t h e f a c t t h a t t h e S o v i e t Union d i d n o t s u p p o r t the CPR p o s i t i o n , h e s a i d , p r e s e r v e d good p o l i t i c a l r e l a t i o n s w i t h I n d i a and avoided a d e t e r i o r a t i o n of t h e s i t u a t i o n i n Aisa. T h i s s p e e c h was h e a t e d l y r e b u t t e d t h a t same day by Peng Chen.

. .

I t was between t h e s p e e c h e s of Khrushchev and Peng Chen on t h e 2 6 t h t h a t Bhupesh Gupta spoke on b e h a l f of t h e CPI. Taking h i s c u e from t h e e v a s i v e s t a n d adopted by a few o t h e r Asian p a r t y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , Gupta a t t e m p t e d t o remain vague and n e u t r a l , a t t a c k i n g n e i t h e r t h e CPSU n o r t h e CCP, H e i n s i s t e d t h a t Nehru was p r i m a r i l y r e s p o n s i b l e for t h e b o r d e r c o n f l i c t between China and I n d i a ( c o n t r a d i c t i n g Khrushchev), and added t h a t Nehru had done t h i s t o d i v e r t t h e a t t e n t i o n . of t h e I n d i a n masses from t h e i r own d i f f i c u l t i e s (echoing t h e l i n e r e p e a t e d l y g i v e n t o t h e CPI by P e i p i n g ) . H e made a , gesture toward Khrushchev by s t a t i n g t h a t t h e o r i g i n a l p o s i t i o n of t h e CCP had n o t f a c i l i t a t e d a r a p i d s o l u t i o n of t h e . problem, b u t immediately added t h a t t h e Chinese p a r t y had r e c e i v e d a C P I d e l e g a t i o n and had g i v e n careful c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o its s u g g e s t i o n s on t h e border i s s u e . Gupta concluded w i t h a f e r v e n t a p p e a l f o r u n i t y . The l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e C P I leade r s h i p had t h u s r e f u s e d to back t h e CPSU i n a d i r e c t c o n f r o n t a t i o n w i t h t h e CCP upon a n o c c a s i o n when s u c h s u p p o r t was s u r e l y desired and when, b e c a u s e o f t h e s e c r e c y of t h e m e e t i n g , s u c h s u p p o r t need n o t have came t o t h e knowledge of t h e CPI r a n k and f i l e to harm i n t e r n a l p a r t y d i s c i p l i n e .

93

-m

CCP Renews C l a i m t o Asian L e a d e r s h i p : I t is p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e l i n e t a k e n by Basavapunniah and Gupta a t B u c h a r e s t was i n f l u e n c e d by t h e " p r i v a t e d i s c u s s i o n s " which t h e y subs e q u e n t l y d i s c l o s e d h a v i n g had w i t h t h e Chinese d e l e g a t e s a t some t i m e d u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g s . In a l a t e r c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h p a r t y c r o n i e s , Basavapunniah a s c r i b e d t o t h e CCP one p o s i t i o n which w a s n o t known t o have been o v e r t l y e x p r e s s e d i n any document or C h i n e s e s p e e c h a t B u c h a r e s t , and which was l i k e l y :*o have been f u r n i s h e d him d i r e c t l y i n t h e s e p r i v a t e t a l k s . The CCP was p o r t r a y e d as b e l i e v i n g t h a t China must now p l a y t h e same r o l e i n Asia t h a t t h e USSR had p r e v i o u s l y p l a y e d i n Europe in b r i n g i n g Communist regimes t o power, and t h a t t h e CPR s h o u l d therefore be g i v e n a f r e e hand i n Asia.

i
. '

The c r e d i b i l i t y of t h i s r e p o r t is enhanced by t h e f a c t t h a t s i m i l a r s t a t e m e n t s had been r e p o r t e d by d i f f e r e n t s o u r c e s as having been made i n P e i p i n g t o Ghosh i n October 1959 and t o an I t a l i a n p a r t y d e l e g a t i o n t h e p r e v i o u s A p r i l . Nor was Basavapunniah's June 1960 claim t o be t h e l a s t s u c h i t e m of evidence. I i n October 1960(1 t h a t one of t h e main c a u s e s or t he d i s p u t e was t h e p o l i t i c a l a t t i t u d e of China and t h e USSR toward S o u t h e a s t Asia, and t h a t t h e CPR contended t h a t as an Asian c o u n t r y s h e s h o u l d have a f r e e hand i n t h a t area and s h e r e f u s e d t o be c r i t i c i z e d a b o u t h e r p o l i c i e s t h e r e . S i m i l a r l y , among t h e p o s i t i o n s r e p o r t e d l y a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e CCP i n a s p e c i a l CPSU memorandum on t h e d i s p u t e d i s c u s s e d a t a P o l i s h p a r t y plenum i n September was t h e c o n t e n t i o n t h a t t h e c e n t e r f o r A f r i c a n and Asian p a r t i e s s h o u l d be i n China, j u s t as t h e c e n t e r f o r t h e European p a r t i e s is i n Moscow. While it no doubt s u i t e d t h e p o l e m i c a l purpose of t h e CPSU t o stress t h i s as e v i d e n c e o f t h e C h i n e s e promotion of d i s u n i t y , it n e v e r t h e l e s s is p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e CCP l e a d e r s h i p has i n f a c t l o n g c o n s i d e r e d i t s e l f t h e l o g i c a l l e a d e r of t h e Asian p a r t i e s and t h a t it t o o k s t e p s t o advance t h i s n o t i o n among t h o s e p a r t i e s - - i n c l u d i n g t h e CPI--as SinoS o v i e t r e l a t i o n s worsened i n 1959 and 1960. I n t e r v i e w With S u s l o v : Following t h e B u c h a r e s t m e e t i n g s Basavapunniah and Bhupesh Gupta proceeded t o Moscow, where t h e y remained for some time i n l a t e June and e a r l y J u l y . The two CPI l e f t i s t s had o r i g i n a l l y planned t o s e e k s u p p o r t i n Moscow f o r t h e i r f a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e p o s i t i o n of Ghosh and

94

Dange, b u t it is u n l i k e l y t h a t t h e y had much s u c c e s s i n t h i s e f f o r t a f t e r t h e i r performance i n Bucharest. I n a r e p o r t e d c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h S u s l o v , however, t h e y were g i v e n f u r t h e r S o v i e t g u i d a n c e on Nehru which d i d n o t s u b s t a n t i a l l y a l t e r t h e CPSU l i n e . S u s l o v was s a i d t o have declared t h a t t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e w a s t h e g r e a t e s t b a r g a i n e r between E a s t and West, and t h a t Nehru was coming under g r e a t e r and greater r i g h t i s t p r e s s u r e t o move him toward t h e ' r i g h t and t h e West, b u t t h a t t h e USSR c o u l d n o t i g n o r e him, and would i n f a c t c o n t i n u e t o s u p p o r t him and w a i t f o r an o p p o r t u n i t y t o draw him toward t h e s o c i a l i s t camp. S u s l o v added t h a t Nehru w a s e s t a b l i s h i n g a " s t r o n g and s t a b l e c a p i t a l i s t base" i n I n d i a which would p r o b a b l y outweigh t h e p u b l i c sector of t h e Ind i a n economy. He a d v i s e d t h e CPI t o f o r m u l a t e a "clear l i n e " on Nehru on t h e b a s i s of an e x a m i n a t i o n of t h e I n d i a n i n t e r n a l s i t u a t i o n , and t o a d o p t a p o l i c y toward Nehru i n d e p e n d e n t of t h e USSR p o l i c y toward him. T h i s is t h e ambiguous and somewhat h y p o c r i t i c a l a d v i c e which S o v i e t l e a d e r s had been g i v i n g t h e CPI f o r a number of y e a r s - - e v e r s i n c e t h e USSR's h o s t i l e p o s t u r e toward t h e I n d i a n government was abandoned, i n fact-and i g n o r e d t h e f a c t t h a t t h e CPI c o u l d n o t s u c c e s s f u l l y t a k e a p u b l i c s t a n d on Nehru t h a t was s e r i o u s l y d i s c o r d a n t w i t h t h e views on N e h r u p u b l i c l y e x p r e s s e d by t h e S o v i e t Union. I n l i n e w i t h h i s own i n c l i n a t i o n s , Basavapunniah s u b s e q u e n t l y i n t e r p r e t e d S u s l o v ' s r e m a r k s as meaning t h a t ' - t h e C P I s h o u l d c o n s i s t e n t l y oppose Nehru, a l t h o u g h it is c l e a r from Basavapunn i a h ' s own a c c o u n t t h a t S u s l o v w a s a t great p a i n s t o a v o i d saying t h i s .
C P I Meetings: Basavapunniah and Bhupesh G u p t a had a l s o o r i g i n a l l y i n t e n d e d t o v i s i t P e i p i n g a f t e r Moscow i f t h e y had s u f f i c i e n t t i m e , b u t it is n o t knotvr, whether t h e y d i d s o . A t any r a t e , i t w a s n o t u n t i l 13 J u l y t h a t t h e y r e t u r n e d t o I n d i a , and i t w a s n o t u n t i l s e v e r a l weeks a f t e r t h a t t h a t t h e y r e p o r t e d t o t h e p a r t y on t h e B u c h a r e s t e v e n t s of l a t e J u n e . I n t h e meantime, Basavapunniah is b e l i e v e d t o h a v e c o n s u l t e d w i t h Sundarayya, h i s mentor i n Andhra who is p r o b a b l y t h e m o s t extremist of a l l t h e i m p o r t a n t CPI leaders, on t h e l i n e t h e l e f t f a c t i o n s h o u l d take a t t h e f o r t h c o m i n g p a r t y m e e t i n g s . From 3 t o 10 August, Gupta and Basavapunniah r e p o r t e d on Buchar e s t t o t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , and from 1 0 t o 17 A u g u s t , t o the C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee. C e r t a i n port i o n s of t h e w r i t t e n r e p o r t , however, were c o n s i d e r e d t o o s e n s it i v e f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n t o t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee: f o r example,

95

..
. .

. *

t h e more p o l e m i c a l p o r t i o n s o f Khrushchev's c l o s e d - s e s s i o n s p e e c h , and t h e exchanges between him and Peng Chen. Nevert h e l e s s , a c c o r d i n g t o Basavapunniah, a t l e a s t one r i g h t - w i n g CEC member rebuked him and Gupta f o r n o t h a v i n g s u p p o r t e d t h e m U a t B u c h a r e s t , and t h e CEC s p l i t down t h e m i d d l e i n S its d i s c u s s i o n of t h e CPSU-CCP d i f f e r e n c e s , w i t h Ghosh and t h e r i g h t i s t s s u p p o r t i n g t h e CPSU, Namboodiripad and Ranadive a t t e m p t i n g t o remain n e u t r a l , and most of t h e C P I ' s p r i n c i p a l l e f t i s t s - - i n c l u d i n g Basavapunniah, Gupta, Basu, Sundarayya, S u r j i t , Bora, and Konar--supporting t h e Chinese p o s i t i o n . The CEC d e c i d e d t h a t i t s n e x t meeting i n e a r l y September would d i s c u s s t h e n a t i o n a l and i n t e r n a t i o n a l s i t u a t i o n t h o r o u g h l y and p r e p a r e a r e s o l u t i o n f o r Cbe N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l . D e s p i t e t h e s e c r e t a r i a t ' s a t t e m p t t o keep t h e m o s t s e n s i t i v e f a c t s about t h e B u c h a r e s t e n c o u n t e r from d i s s e m i n a t i n g t h r o u g h t h e lower e c h e l o n s of t h e p a r t y , t h e n a t u r e of t h e Sino-Soviet c o n f l i c t seems t o have become common knowledge t h r o u g h o u t t h e CPI i n J u l y and August, due l a r g e l y t o t h e eff o r t s of t h e r i g h t - f a c t i o n leaders, who wished t o u s e t h e d i s p u t e as a weapon w i t h which t o d i s c r e d i t and i s o l a t e t h e l e f t i s t leaders i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e CCP i n t h e e y e s of t h e p a r t y r a n k - a n d - f i l e f o r whom t h e CPSU r e t a i n e d p r i m a r y a u t h o r i t y . Conversely, t h e l e f t i s t f a c t i o n had a v e s t e d i n t e r e s t i n t r y i n g t o s u p p r e s s knowledge of t h e d i s p u t e . T h i s proved imposs i b l e n o t merely b e c a u s e t h e non-Communist I n d i a n p r e s s publ i s h e d t h o s e d e t a i l s of t h e c o n f l i c t known t o t h e Western publ i c , but a l s o , a t h e leftists subsequently charged, because s r i g h t i s t leaders s u c h as Dange l e a k e d p a r t y i n f o r m a t i o n about B u c h a r e s t t o b o u r g e o i s o r g a n s s u c h as L i n k . Ever s i n c e t h e WFTU meeting, it w a s s a i d , Dange had a-pted t o convey t o h i s f o l l o w e r s i n t h e C P I a s t r o n g anti-CCP bias, s u p p o s e d l y a s s u r i n g t h e m t h a t t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p w o u l d be o v e r thrown by Khrushchev. After B u c h a r e s t , Ghosh was s a i d t o have a l s o conducted a w h i s p e r i n g campaign w i t h i n t h e p a r t y , s a y i n g t h a t Khrushchev had i n s t r u c t e d him t o expose t h e T r o t s k y i t e tendency of t h e Chinese p a r t y . A t a Maharashtra p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y meeting on 20 August, Dange t h u s r e f e r r e d o p e n l y t o t h e B u c h a r e s t e v e n t s , d e f e n d i n g t h e CPSU and c h a r a c t e r i z i n g t h e Chinese p o s i t i o n on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e as " t o t a l l y wrong;" h e defended h i s f r a n k n e s s as j u s t i f i e d because t h e p a r t y members had r e a d it. a l l i n t h e newspapers anyway.

96

The J u l y B l i t z Articles: T h i s r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n e f f o r t t o keep t h e CPI rank-and-f i l e informed w a s g i v e n i n v o l u n t a r y a s s i s t a n c e by t h e s i m u l t a n e o u s CPSU e f f o r t s t o r e a p some s u b s i d i a r y b e n e f i t from its t r o u b l e s w i t h t h e CCP by impressi n g on t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c and government t h a t t h e USSR had been d e f e n d i n g p e a c e and f r i e n d s h i p w i t h I n d i a a g a i n s t t h e views o f t h e w a r l i k e and h o s t i l e Chinese. On 30 J u l y , B l i t z p u b l i s h e d a n u n s i g n e d a r t i c l e on t h e g e n e r a l theme, " I s C h i n a Going T r o t s k y i t e ? ' ' T h i s a r t i c l e r e f e r r e d , among o t h e r t h i n g s , t o d e t a i l s of t h e Sino-Soviet b a t t l e a t t h e WFTU c o n f e r e n c e ; t o s t a t e m e n t s made i n Khrushchev's s p e e c h t o t h e secret meeti n g a t B u c h a r e s t ; t o t h e manner i n which t h e Chinese p r e s s had o b s c u r e d and d i s t o r t e d Khrushchev's B u c h a r e s t " s p e e c h e s ; " t o t h e d e t a i l s o f a recent CPSU C e n t r a l Committee r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g narrow n a t i o n a l i s m and l e f t w i n g s e c t a r i a n i s m ; t o . r e c e n t E a s t German p u b l i c r e j e c t i o n o f t h e Chinese communes; and t o a r e c e n t r e s o l u t i o n p a s s e d by t h e T r o t s k y i t e F o u r t h I n t e r n a t i o n a l e n d o r s i n g t h e Chinese l i n e as t h e c o r r e c t one. A second long a r t i c l e , s i g n e d by B l i t z ' s e d i t o r , K a r a n j i a , charged t h e C h i n e s e w i t h "gloatin-er t h e f a i l u r e of t h e summit c o n f e r e n c e , s a i d t h a t P e i p i n g had been r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e 1959 a b o r t i v e move a g a i n s t K a s s i m by t h e I r a q i CP; and g e n e r a l l y d e p i c t e d Khrushchev and Nehru as t w i n a n g e l s of peace f i g h t i n g a g a i n s t t h e d o g m a t i s t , T r o t s k y i t e a l l i a n c e of Mo and Eisenhower. e
~

..

..

D e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h e S o v i e t ambassador l a t e r d e n i e d t o CPI l e f t i s t s h a v i n g p l a n t e d t h i s m a t e r i a l i n B l i t z t o a t t a c k t h e Chinese, o f f i c i a l t o l a T E G CPI t h a t he had d e f i n e i n I o r m a t i o n tna!t t h i s was so, and K a r a n j i a h i m s e l f h a s r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e m a t e r i a l had been s e n t t o him by " l e a d e r s o f t h e S o v i e t f a c t i o n i n t h e CPI C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t " a t t h e b e h e s t of t h e S o v i e t embassy. Whether o r n o t t h e a r t i c l e s w e r e c h a n n e l e d t o B l i t z t h r o u g h Ghosh, t h e d e t a i l s and wide r a n g e of i n f o r m a t i 5 F T E c l u d e d seem l i k e l y t o have o r i g i n a t e d i n t h e CPSU. T h i s S o v i e t e f f o r t t o i m p r e s s Nehru was s u c c e s s f u l : K a r a n j i a s u b s e q u e n t l y c l a i m e d t h a t Nehru had t a l k e d t o him a b o u t t h e a r t i c l e and had w r i t t e n Khrushchev f o r more d a t a on t h e B u c h a r e s t c l a s h ; presumably Khrushchev r e s p o n d e d , s i n c e t h r e e months l a t e r Nehru t o l d a c a b i n e t meeti n g t h a t he had now come t o know t h a t a t t h e B u c h a r e s t meeti n g t h e S o v i e t s had c r i t i c i z e d t h e Chinese f o r t h e i r a c t i o n i n T i b e t and f o r t h e i r a t t i t u d e toward I n d i a on t h e b o r d e r problem.

I
,

. -

97

L e f t i s t Appeal t o China f o r R e v o l u t i o n a r y A i d : A t about t h e same t i m e t h a t t h i s was going on, t h e most m i l i t a n t of t h e CPI l e a d e r s were f o r t h e - f i r s t t i m e e x p l i c i t l y t u r n i n g t o t h e Chinese p a r t y and away f r o m r e l i a n c e on t h e S o v i e t p a r t y i n t h e i r p l a n s f o r a f u t u r e r e v o l u t i o n . I n e a r l y August these leaders are b e l i e v e d t o have p a s s e d t o t h e CCP w r i t t e n p r o p o s a l s a s k i n g CCP c o l l a b o r a t i o n i n I n d i a n underground o r g a n i z a t i o n work a i m i n g a t e v e n t u a l r e v o l u t i o n , c o l l a b o r a t i o n whibh would be expanded a f t e r t h e l e f t i s t s had t a k e n cont r o l o f t h e CPI a t n e x t y e a r ' s p a r t y c o n g r e s s , as t h e y hoped to do. I t was e x p l a i n e d t h a t t h i s r'equest w a s addressed t o t h e Chinese b e c a u s e t h e y " u n d e r s t a n d t h e problems of t h e m i l i t a n t wing of t h e CPI," and because t h e CPR and n o t USSR, h a s a b o r d e r w i t h I n d i a , so t h a t o n l y China c o u l d p r o v i d e t h e s u p p l i e s and arms n e c e s s a r y f o r an I n d i a n r e v o l u t i o n . A week l a t e r t h e o r i g i n a t o r s of t h i s p r o p o s a l were informed t h a t it had been forwarded t o P e i p i n g , t h a t it was e x p e c t e d t h a t P e i p i n g would approve t h e p r o p o s a l and t h a t active c o l l a b o r a t i o n would p r o b a b l y b e g i n i n a f e w months.. I n t h e l i g h t of this l e f t - f a c t i o n i n i t i a t i v e , t h e CPSU a p p e a r s t o have acted n a i v e l y i n c o n s e n t i n g t o one more j o i n t e f f o r t w i t h P e i p i n g t o minimize t h e impact of t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e upon t h e CPI. I

98

E.

The CPSU's A u g u s t L e t t e r and its Consequences

I n t h e t h i r d week o f August, a few d a y s a f t e r t h e j o i n t Sino-Soviet m e e t i n g w i t h Ghosh and Sundarayya, t h e CPI receive d from t h e S o v i e t Embassy a l e n g t h y CPSU l e t t e r i n f o r m i n g t h e I n d i a n p a r t y d i r e c t l y f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e ' o f Mosca*?ss::gr$evances a g a i n s t Peiping. T h i s letter was said t o reiterate p o i n t s made i n Khrushchev's s p e e c h i n B u c h a r e s t and i n t h e 2 1 J u n e c i r c u l a r l e t t e r d i s t r i b u t e d t h e r e ; it was a l s o s a i d t o be based upon m a t e r i a l p r o v i d e d by t h e J u l y 1960 plenum of t h e CPSU C e n t r a l Committee, i n c l u d i n g t h e s p e e c h which ghrushchev is known t o have d e l i v e r e d a t t h a t plenum b u t which was n e v e r p u b l i s h e d . I la s a n i t i z e d v e r s i o n of t h i s letter Iapp e a r s t o ha?e been c i r c u l a t e d w i d e l y among f r e e world p a r t i e s , and some d e t a i l s of it are known. Among o t h e r t h i n g s , t h e CPSU c i r c u l a r message a g a i n emphasized t h e need t o win t h e uncommitted c o u n t r i e s t o t h e s i d e d t h e b l o c t h r o u g h p u r s u a n c e of a " p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e " p o l i c y c o u p l e d w i t h g e n e r o u s economic h e l p . The l e t t e r d e n i e d t h e C h i n e s e c h a r g e t h a t t h e CPSU w a s t h e r e b y " s t r e n g t h e n i n g r e a c t i o n a r y regimes, I t * a c c u s e d t h e CCP o f being "obsessed" w i t h t h e " s o - c a l l e d s t r e n g t h of r e a c t i o n " i n t h e non-Communist w o r l d , and declared t h a t Peip i n g , b y magnifying "minor i s s u e s " - - f o r example, w i t h India-had h u r t t h e Communist cause and impeded t h e work of l o c a l Communist p a r t i e s . The l e t t e r added t h a t t h e s e and t h e o t h e r c h a r g e s it l e v e l e d a t t h e Chinese were b e i n g p r o v i d e d t o give world Communist l e a d e r s a b a s i s f o r t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n s s o t h a t t h e s e matters c o u l d be r e s o l v e d a t a s c h e d u l e d m e e t i n g i n Moscow i n November. *Khrushchev i n August and September is known t o have reiter a t e d s e v e r a l t i m e s - - p a r t i c u l a r l y t o t h e E a s t European p a r t i e s - t h a t t h e CCP had opposed t h e g r a n t i n g of economic a i d t o bourg e o i s n a t i o n a l i s t governments of underdeveloped c o u n t r i e s , and t h a t P e i p i n g was p a r t i c u l a r l y i n c e n s e d by S o v i e t a s s i s t a n c e t o s u c h men as Nehru and Nasser, a s s i s t a n c e which P e i p i n g c l a i m e d was m a i n t a i n i n g t h e i r regimes i n power and h i n d e r i n g t h e r i s e of t h e l o c a l Communist p a r t i e s . T h i s a t t i t u d e had been widespread i n t h e CPI i n 1954 and 1955 a t t h e o n s e t of t h e new S o v i e t p o l i c y of a s s i s t i n g I n d i a n i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n .

99

...._ - ... ._. .

~

..I

-- .
.

_ I _ -

.:

. . --..- .

__-

..

Thfe l e t t e r waa used by t h e r i g h t i s t faction t o force t h e CPI i n t o a direct a t t a c k on t h e Chinese party. A t a Centrnl Ekecutive Committee meeting h e l d from 4 t o 7 September, t h e r l & h t i s t s forced through by a slaall majority a secret r e s o l u t i o n condemning China which had been w r i t t e n by Ghosh i n consultation with Dmge. An a l t e r n a t i v e . leftist draft by Basovspunniah w a s r e j e c t e d . All the legtist8 .on the CEC l i n e d up in oppomition t o Ghosh's resolution; Dange afterward boasted t h a t he had forced Banadive-who would have preferred to abs t a i n and t o avoid t a k i n g a position oppostlng the CPSU-to oomaft himself and vote against the r e s o l u t i o n .

I
I

I I
I

This September secret re6ofution backed"the Soviet l i n e on tho p o s e i b i l l t y of a v e r t i n g w a r , on t h e significance o f t h e 20th CPSU Congress, en t h e increasing bloc deterence of imp e r i a l i s t aggression and the dogmatism of those who d i d not think imperialisas w a so deterred, OB the importance of t h e ~ struggle for disarmament, on the significance for t h e b l o c o f t h e "peace zone" and of India above all, and on t h e increasing possibilities for a peaceful t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism in a number of countries. The resolution blamed the Indian government for giving succor t o t h e bedai Lma, but condemned the CPB f o r having described Kalimpong 88 the command center of t h e Tibetan r e v o l t , f o r having s a i d t h e Dalai L a m w a s brought t o India under durees, and f o r having used the p h r ~ e **fndlan expaneloalsm.a Peiplng w a s accused o f having made a mistaken amseasment o f the Indian s i t u a t i o n "without any effort t o nscertain t h e views of the Communist Party of India." The USSR, on tho ofher ,hand, w a s s a i d t o have taken a c o r r e c t stand on the border d i s p u t e as a %onfliat between two countrlels of the peace oamp;" Much d e t a i l was provided on the harmful effect t h e Chinese acti'ons had had on t h e C P X . I t ias,recogaized tffat there had been a change f o r t h e better in Peiping'e llne after the October 1959 v i s i t o f the CPI delegation, but i t W R B ~ said t h a t t h i e had happened too l a t e . The CCP errors were maid to have been the r e s u l t of a new and mistaken assessment of the role of t h e national bourgeoisie of India. The CPI reaffirmed i t 6 disagreement with t h i s assessment, and its belief In peaceful transition to socialism as t h e baais of Indian p a r t y policy. Finally, the r e s o l u t i o a expressed concern over the open disouseioa of Sino-Soviet divergencies i n the bloc press, which, it aaid, "has done damage to t h e Communist mvemerit;" along the sane line, it c r i t i c i z e d the a c t i o n s Of LiU N i n g - I a t t h e WFTU meeting in bringing p a r t y d i s p u t e s OpenlY
before aon-party b o d i e e .

- 100 -

..

. .

.. ,

China but otherwise s i m i l a r l y supporting Soviet p o s i t i o n s on the averting of w a r , on policy toward India, on .the non-violent trazmition to socialism, and on the "creative" a p p l i c a t i o n of Yarxiam-Leninism t r u t h s Thie PeSolutiOn explicitly "reaffirmed" t h e p o s i t i v e assessment of the Xndian Government's foretgn p o l i c y made by the A m i t g a r and Palghat p a r t y congresses. The open renolution was.promptly summarized by TASS on 8 September and published in Pravda two days later.

Along with thia secret resolution, the Central Executive C o m m i t t e e adopted 8 p u b l i c r e s o l u t i o n omitting any mention of

The secret CEC resolutign had been intended as the Indian party'8 w r i t t e n contribution t o t h e d e l i b e r a t i o n s of a m u l t i party i n t e r n a t i o n a l e d i t o r i a l c a ~ s s i o n(on which the C P X *as repreeented) which was t o meet in Moscow i n October*:to attempt t o reconcile CPSU-CCP differences. Agadnst t h e strenuous opposition o f t h e CPI b f t i s t s , the CXC also agreed t o have the document circulated t o members of t h e CPI National Council and t o the varioue Provincial ComnLtteesl of the party. Below t h a t l e v e l , the r e s o l u t i o n W ~ B not t o be shown b u t w a s t o be deaaribed o r a l l y t o the rank-and-f i l e with s u i t a b l e omissions. Dmge'6 forcee, however, were not conteat with t h i s , and appear t o have been responsible for the subsequent leak o f th'e g i s t of t h e resolution t o t h e mass-circulation Indian weekly Linkan a c t i o n which occasioned further bitter rdcEim$natloa'from the leftiste.

I
I

I
I
I

Banadioe w a s reported t o have inatru'cted an Intermediary t o inform t h e Chinese Embassy t h a t t h i s r e s o l u t i o n had already been formally opDolsed by the provlncial parties o f West Bengal, t h e Punjab, and Tamllnad. In faot, t h e West Bengal s a d PunJab organizations had not y e t done this, and there f s no evidence that t h e Tamilnad party ever d i d s o . However, c e r t a i n d e t a i l s which Ranadive t o l d .the Chinese embassy had been placed in these leftist resolutions were eventually found i n the secret.resolut l o n s eubeequently pas8ed by both West Bengal and the Punjab, suggesting that a coordinated attack on the c o n t r o v e r s i a l CXC resolution may have been organized i n advance from t h e center.

The September resolution evoked, in f a c t , a violent and unique r e a c t l o a la the l e f t - f a c t i o n strongholds. On 7 October,

1
1

I
~

On 21 October the West Bengal p a r t y passed three resolutions containing t h e only e x p l i c i t a t t a c k s on the CPSU and on Xhrushchev personally known with c e r t a i n t y t o have been made

. .',
I .

. .

..

. .

by any Communist p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e world d u r i n g t h e 1960 Sino-Soviet s t r u g g l e . Although t h e s e r e s o l u t i o n s were supposed t o be secret, a t l e a s t one o f them was p r o m p t l y l e a k e d i n t o t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s p r e s s , presumably i n answer t o t h e earlier r i g h t i s t - i n s p i r e d leaks. The first West Bengal r e s o l u t i o n , on q u e s t i o n s of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement, stressed t h e p r o v i s i o n o f t h e 1957 Moscow D e c l a r a t i o n t h a t r e v i s i o n i s m is t h e main danger f a c i n g t h e movement, and found t h e views of t h e CPSU d i f f i c u l t t o r e c o n c i l e w i t h t h i s . The 2 0 t h and 2 1 s t CPSU Congresses and t h e s t a t e m e n t s of CPSU l e a d e r s were c r i t i c i z e d f o r i g n o r i n g t h e d a n g e r of r e v i s i o n i s m . Khrushchev and o t h e r S o v i e t leaders were a t t a c k e d f o r h a v i n g u s e d l a n g u a g e a b o u t t h e i m p e r i a l i s t l e a d e r s t h a t had created c o n f u s i o n and i l l u s i o n s among t h e p e o p l e . The Chinese p a r t y w a s defended as h a v i n g always s u p p o r t e d p e a c e f u l n e g o t i a t i o n s , a l t h o u g h m i l d r e g r e t was e x p r e s s e d t h a t some of t h e r e c e n t CCP w r i t i n g s c o u l d create t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t t h e Chinese d i d n o t f u l l y a p p r e c i a t e t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of s u c h n e g o t i a t i o n s . The CCP was l a v i s h l y p r a i s e d f o r t h e a c t i v e s t r u g g l e it had carried on r e g a r d i n g A l g e r i a and c o l o n i a l i s m g e n e r a l l y ; " i n t h i s r e s p e c t , " s a i d t h e West Bengal p a r t y , " t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e CPSU w a s n o t q u i t e s t r o n g u n t i l r e c e n t l y . " Many w r i t i n g s and s t a t e m e n t s of CPSU l e a d e r s d u r i n g t h e p a s t y e a r were s a i d t o have f a i l e d t o stress p r o p e r l y t h e importance of mass s t r u g g l e s a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m , c r e a t i n g a "wrong u n d e r s t a n d i n g " i n In p a r t i c u l a r , t h e other p a r t i e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e CPI. " w r i t i n g s , s t a t e m e n t s and s p e e c h e s of CPSU comrades" were a t t a c k e d f o r h a v i n g p r a i s e d t h e r e s u l t s of t h e d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s of t h e government of I n d i a " i n s u c h a way t h a t d i f f i c u l t i e s w e r e created i n t h e way of t h e development of c l a s s s t r u g g l e i n our c o u n t r y . " The West Bengal p a r t y a l s o c o u l d n o t unders t a n d why news of t h e h e r o i c , s t r u g g l e it was c a r r y i n g o u t a g a i n s t t h e a n t i - p e o p l e p o l i c i e s of t h e I n d i a n government was n e v e r p u b l i s h e d i n t h e S o v i e t p r e s s . The r e s o l u t i o n i m p l i e d t h a t t h e CPSU, t h r o u g h its stress on p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism, w a s l e a d i n g t h e CPI t o r e l y s o l e l y on p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s , "which is a reformist c o n c e p t i o n . " The r e s o l u t i o n ended by t e r m i n g b o t h t h e CPSU and t h e CCP I f t h e most m a t u r e , e x p e r i e n c e d , and l e a d i n g p a r t i e s , ' I and e x p r e s s e d t h e hope t h a t t h e CPSU would f u l f i l l i t s r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s as l e a d e r " i n a more i n s p i r i n g way.

102

-.

The second West S e n g a l r e s o l u t i o n denounced t h e CEC a c t i o n i t s e l f as "wrong and h a r m f u l , " because t h e CEC had spoken o u t w i t h o u t h a v i n g " a c q u a i n t e d i t s e l f w i t h t h e views of t h e CCP." The CEC w a s accused of h a v i n g acted s o l e l y on t h e b a s i s of Sov i e t a c c u s a t i o n s , p l u s t h e e v i d e n c e of "one o r t w o Red F l a g a r t i c l e s and one o r two s p e e c h e s , ' I w h i l e " c o n v e n i e n t l y a v d i d i n g t o take i n t o a c c o u n t a number o f a r t i c l e s and s p e e c h e s of t h e S o v i e t leaders and some documents o f t h e CPSU i n t h e cont e x t of which t h e Red F l a g a r t i c l e s were w r i t t e n " - - t h a t is, t h e S o v i e t p r o v o c z m n x i c h had o b l i g e d P e i p i n g t o s p e a k o u t . T h i s r e s o l u t i o n demanded t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t a k e p a r t i c u l a r care i n its actions "because t h e d i v e r g e n c i e s of o p i n i o n were p r i m a r i l y between t w o great Communist p a r t i e s of t h e world, b o t h of whom have r i c h r e v o l u t i o n a r y experience, have s u c c e s s f u l l y a p p l i e d Marxism-Leninism t o concrete c o n d i t i o n s and have l e d great r e v o l u t i o n s , and b o t h o f whom exert great i n f l u e n c e on t h e c o u r s e of t h e world r e v o l u t i o n a r y move(Emphasis s u p p l i e d ) * ment 'I

!
I

The t h i r d West Bengal r e s o l u t i o n e x p r e s s e d " s e r i o u s a n x i e t y and u n e a s i n e s s " o v e r t h e r e p o r t e d news of t h e withdrawal of S o v i e t t e c h n i c i a n s from China and t h e c l o s i n g of t w o w e e k l i e s i n Moscow and P e i p i n g , b u t d i d n o t a s s i g n blame t o e i t h e r party for these events. The P u n j a b r e s o l u t i o n s , p a s s e d on 24 October, echoed most of t h e West Bengal s t r i c t u r e s a g a i n s t t h e CEC r e s o l u t i o n and t h e r e v i s i o n i s t e r r o r s of t h e CPI l e a d e r s h i p , b u t d i d n o t e x p l i c i t l y a t t a c k t h e CPSU. The r e s o l u t i o n s o f b o t h p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s traced t h e growth of r e v i s i o n i s t i n f l u e n c e s i n t h e C P I i n some d e t a i l , t o u c h i n g on t h e p e r n i c i o u s e f f e c t s of d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n , t h e 1956 New Times R u b i n s t e i n a r t i c l e , t h e r e a c t i o n s t o t h e Hungarian r e v o l u t i o n a n d t h e Nagy e x e c u t i o n , t h e Kerala p a r l i a m e n t a r y e x p e r i m e n t , and t h e C P I ' s h a n d l i n g of Eisenhower's 1959 v i s i t .
/

*A r e s o l u t i o n v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h i s is known t o have been p l a c e d b e f o r e a m e e t i n g of t h e Andhra p a r t y i n November'by f o r c e s , l e d by t h e l o c a l l e f t - f a c t i o n leader Sundarayya; b u t i t was d e f e a t e d .

103

I t is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t h e p r e s e n t r e l a t i o n s h i p of t h e CPSU t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t h a t t h e a u t h o r s of t h e s e r e s o l u tions--and p a r t i c u l a r l y of t h e West Bengal d i r e c t a t t a c k on t h e CPSU--to t h i s day are n o t known t o have been reprimanded or a t t a c k e d by e i t h e r t h e CPSU o r t h e c e n t r a l CPI o r g a n s , b u t on t h e c o n t r a r y have been c o u r t e d by t h e CPSU and have remained i n p o s i t i o n s of a u t h o r i t y w i t h i n t h e i r p r o v i n c i a l organizations.
F.

. .

.
..

The Hanoi C o n f r o n t a t i o n and t h e C C P ' s September L e t t e r

..

There is r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e P u n j a b and West Bengal r e s o l u t i o n s were p r e p a r e d under t h e i n f l u e n c e o f g u i d a n c e which t h e l e f t i s t f a c t i o n r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e T h i r d Vietnamese P a r t y Congress of 5-15 September. The C P I w a s r e p r e s e n t e d a t t h i s Hanoi Congress by one man from e a c h wing of t h e p a r t y : K. Damodaran, a prominent Kerala r i g h t i s t who had rebuked Basavapunniah and Gupta a t t h e A u g u s t CEC m e e t i n g f o r n o t h a v i n g s u p p o r t e d t h e
' CPSU a t B u c h a r e s t ; and Hare- Krishna. Konar, -onenof t h e .most m i l i t a n t o f t h e West Bengal l e a d e r s .

The Hanoi Congress w a s t h e a p p a r e n t s c e n e o f i n t e n s i v e l o b b y i n g among t h e S o v i e t s , Chinese, and Vietnamese f o r t h e s u p p o r t of t h e Vietnamese p a r t y ; it was t h e r e a l s o t h a t Sov i e t d e l e g a t e Mukhitdinov made a p u b l i c condemnation of "dogmatists" who wanted t o " f o r c e on t h e o t h e r side" t h e i r erroneous ideas. There is no e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e two I n d i a n d e l e g a t e s had any p a r t i n t h e s e n e g o t i a t i o n s , b u t it is known t h a t Konar and Damodaran d i d have a t l e a s t one p r i v a t e j o i n t meeting w i t h S o v i e t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s d u r i n g t h e c o n g r e s s . A t t h i s m e e t i n g , Konar asked t h e S o v i e t s a s e r i e s of h o s t i l e q u e s t i o n s , c o v e r i n g p o i n t s l a t e r touched on i n t h e West Bengal a t t a c k on t h e CPSU: h e a l l u d e d t o t h e harmful n a t u r e o f Khrus h c h e v ' s remark a t t h e 2 0 t h CPSU Congress on t h e improvement i n I n d i a n l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s , h e asked why t h e r e had been no c o v e r a g e o f t h e I n d i a n s t r i k e s and s t r u g g l e s i n *he S o v i e t p r e s s , and he c a l l e d a t t e n t i o n t o t h e c o n f u s i o n which had been created by t h e S o v i e t a c t i o n i n c a l l i n g Eisenhower a man of p e a c e , t h e r e b y " d u l l i n g t h e p e o p l e ' s v i g i l a n c e . " The S o v i e t s r e p l i e d t o these p o i n t s i n a n o t a b l y d e f e n s i v e manner, denyi n g t h a t t h e y had d u l l e d anyone's v i g i l a n c e , d e n y i n g t h a t

..

104

.'

Khrushchev's 2 0 t h Congress remark had been h a r m f u l , and promisi n g t o improve S o v i e t p r e s s c o v e r a g e o f t h e I n d i a n p a r t y ' s anti-government s t r u g g l e s ( a promise n e v e r k e p t ) . In t h e i r t u r n , t h e S o v i e t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s asked Konar and Damodaran f o r t h e i r views on t h e B u c h a r e s t e v e n t s ; Damodaran r e p l i e d i n s u p p o r t of t h e S o v i e t l i n e , w h i l e Konar r e p o r t e d l y answered "as a t t h e - g u s t- CEC meeting"--that is, i n agreement w i t h /h 7 t h e CCP.
A t one p o i n t d u r i n g t h e c o n g r e s s , Damodaran and Konar a p p e a r t o have a l s o had a n e x t e n d e d d i s c u s s i o n of t h e SinoI n d i a n b o r d e r q u e s t i o n w i t h t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n , d u r i n g which Damodaran r e p o r t e d l y asked why P e i p i n g had n o t been w i l l i n g t o g i v e up l a n d t o s e t t l e t h e q u e s t i o n as t h e S o v i e t s had done i n t h e 1 9 2 0 s i n t h e case of Turkey and I r a n ( r e p e a t i n g a p o i n t made i n t h e August CPSU l e t t e r t o t h e CPI). Following t h e c o n g r e s s , L i Fu-chun, t h e c h i e f CCP delegate, accompanied t h e t w o CPI r e p r e s e n h a t i v e s t o P e i p i n g , where t h e y had d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h Chou E n - l a i . * Chou e v i d e n t l y gave most of h i s a t t e n t i o n t o t h e l e f t i s t Konar, and r e l a t i v e l y l i t t l e t i m e t o Damodaran, who s u b s e q u e n t l y complained of t h e cold t r e a t m e n t he had r e c e i v e d i n P e i p i n g . During one j o i n t meeti n g w i t h b o t h Konar and Damodaran, however, Chou is s a i d t o have t a u n t e d them w i t h t h e news of t h e a n t i - C h i n e s e September C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee r e s o l u t i o n (which had r e p o r t e d l y been p a s s e d t o t h e CPR Consul General i n C a l c u t t a by West Bengal l e a d e r s ) . lthe Chinese leaders a t t h i s meleting f u r i o u s l y a t t a c k e d t h e r e s o l u t i o n , s a y i n g t h a t t h e I n d i a n p a r t y had w r o n g l y m s s e s s e d t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s of t h e Sino-Soviet d i s p u t e and had shown t h a t it h a r b o r e d

*The Vietnamese P a r t y C o n i r e s s w a s n o t t h e o n l y s c e n e of Chinese and S o v i e t p r o s e l y t i z i n g of I n d i a n p a r t y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s abroad i n September. A t about t h e t i m e t h a t Konar and Damodaran were f l y i n g from H a n o i t o P e i p i n g , t h e head o f t h e A l l - I n d i a Y o u t h F e d e r a t i o n (a CPI f r o n t ) a t a World Youth Forum meeting i n Moscow was b e i n g b u t t o n h o l e d by r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e All-China Youth F e d e r a t i o n and t h e S o v i e t K o m s o m o l i n t u r n and h a r r a n g u e d w i t h t h e two p a r t i e s ' o p p o s i n g arguments on disarmament and war.

105

..
I

,
'

i l l u s i o n s a b o u t Nehru. The Chinese t o l d Konar and Damodaran t h a t t h e y had e x p l a i n e d t o Ghosh t h e r e a s o n s f o r t h e i r a c t i o n s i n t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e and t h e r e f o r e d i d n o t know why h e had condemned them i n t h e CEC r e s o l u t i o n ; t h e y added t h a t t h e y knew, however, t h a t t h i s r e s o l u t i o n had n o t been unanimous. The CCP a l s o a p p e a r s t o , h a v e g i v e n Konar a s e p a r a t e l e n g t h y b r i e f i n g which r e i t e r a t e d t h e o v e r a l l C h i n e s e p o s i t i o n on p o i n t s i n d i s p u t e w i t h t h e CPSU. J u d g i n g from t h e o r a l r e p o r t which Konar s u b s e q u e n t l y gave t o a West Bengal p a r t y meeting i n C a l c u t t a , t h i s b r i e f i n g a c t u a l l y c o n s t i t u t e d a summary of a l e t t e r which t h e CCP had s e n t t o t h e CPSU on 10 September and w a s t o p r e s e n t t o t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l e d i t o r i a l commission in Moscow i n October, d e f e n d i n g C h i n e s e conduct a g a i n s t c h a r g e s made i n t h e 21 June CPSU l e t t e r and a t t a c k i n g S o v i e t p o s i t i o n s , on w a r , p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n , and p o l i c y toward t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e . According t o t h e v e r s i o n of t h i s CCP l e t t e r e v e n t u a l l y p r e s e n t e d t o t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l commission, P e i p i n g i n t e r a l i a d e n i e d t h a t it had d i s c a r d e d a p o l i c y of s e e k i n g t o c o n c i l i a t e t h e n e u t r a l c o u n t r i e s of Asia and A f r i c a , and d e n i e d t h a t it had c a l l e d t h e n a t i o n a l The CCP h e a v i l y bourgeoisie of t h e s e c o u n t r i e s " i m p e r i a l i s t emphasized, however, t h e c o n t r a d i c t o r y and u n r e l i a b l e n a t u r e o f t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n I n d i a , where t h e b o u r g e o i s i e "shows an i n c r e a s i n g i n t e r n a l a n t i-democrat i c t e n d e n c y and is g r a d u a l l y r e t r e a t i n g from i t s e x t e r n a l a n t i i m p e r i a l i s t p o s i t i o n , " a l t h o u g h it s t i l l r e t a i n s a n e u t r a l It w a s f o r t h i s reason, said t h e Chinese p a r t y , posture. " t h a t t h e i n c i d e n t s w i t h China o c c u r r e d and t h a t I n d i a resisted r e a c h i n g a n accord." B u t t h e CPSU, s a i d P e i p i n g , s u p p o r t e d t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e ; a l t h o u g h Moscow a p p e a r e d t o a g r e e w i t h t h e C h i n e s e p o l i c y of " u n i t y and s t r u g g l e " toward t h e m , y e t t h e CPSU " w a s opposed t o t h e f i g h t w h i c h we waged a g a i n s t t h e g o v e r n i n g classes of I n d i a when t h e y a t t a c k e d us."
, I

."

Although it h a s been r e p o r t e d t h a t Konar had s e v e r a l p r i v a t e m e e t i n g s w i t h t h e CCP d e l e g a t i o n i n Hanoi, d u r i n g which he may have been g i v e n some of t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n , it seems p r o b a b l e t h a t h i s p r i n c i p a l b r i e f i n g t o o k p l a c e d u r i n g h i s l e n g t h y i n t e r v i e w w i t h Chou i n P e i p i n g . According t o one r e p o r t , it was i n Chou's p r e s e n c e t h a t L i Fu-chun read o u t t o Konar e x c e r p t s from t h e 1 0 September l e t t e r . A t t h e same t i m e , t h e CCP r e p o r t e d l y t o l d Konar t h a t t h e f u l l 150-page l e t t e r would e v e n t u a l l y be s e n t t o t h e CPI--in C a l c u t t a , and o n l y t h e r e a f t e r t o N e w D e l h i ; t h e Chinese w e r e s a i d t o be

106

. ( . '.

- w m

.. .

3
--

a d e t e r m i n e d t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e l e t t e r came f i r s t i n t o f r i e n d l y l e f t - f a c t i o n hands i n West Bengal. There is no e v i d e n c e , howe v e r , as t o whether o r n o t t h i s promised f u l l t e x t was ever r e c e i v e d . On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e C P I l e f t i s t s are b e l i e v e d t o have made e x t e n s i v e u s e of t h e summary o f t h e l e t t e r which Konar had o b t a i n e d . Upon r e t u r n i n g t o I n d i a , Konar r e p o r t e d on what he had been t o l d t o t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t i n l a t e September, and t h e n t o t h e C a l c u t t a p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n on 5 October. Konar a l s o seems t o have c i r c u l a t e d a document p a r a p h r a s i n g t h e CCP l e t t e r w i t h i n t h e West Bengal p a r t y , among t h e l e f t i s t s i n t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , and p o s s i b l y elsewhere w i t h i n t h e CPI; s u b s e q u e n t l y , t h e C P I r i g h t i s t s made a n a b o r t i v e a t t e m p t t o have him c e n s u r e d f o r t h i s a c t i v i t y . There is l i t t l e d o u b t t h a t t h e West Bengal a n t i - S o v i e t . r e s o l u t i o n s of 2 1 October were s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e P e i p i n g l e t t e r , and t h a t it w a s t o t h i s Chinese answer which t h e West , Bengal p a r t y was a l l u d i n g when it s a i d t h a t t h e C e n t r a l Execut i v e Committee s h o u l d have w a i t e d t o " a c q u a i n t i t s e l f w i t h t h e views of t h e CCP."
G.

The Moscow Conference (November)

The I n d i a n p a r t y d e l e g a t i o n which a t t e n d e d t h e 8 1 - p a r t y c o n f e r e n c e i n Moscow i n November 1960 was a b a l a n c e d o n e , i n c l u d i n g , i n a d d i t i o n t o Ghosh, Dange, r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e r i g h t wing, Namboodiripad and R a m a r u r t h i , r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e c e n t e r , and Bhupesh Gupta, r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e l e f t i s t s . The d e l e g a t i o n was r e p o r t e d l y o r g a n i z e d i n t h i s way because t h e CPSU, i n s u b m i t t i n g its formal i n v i t a t i o n t o t h e CPI t o send f i v e d e l e g a t e s , had recommended t h a t t h e y i n c l u d e p e r s o n s who had opposed t h e September CEC r e s o l u t i o n as w e l l as some who had s u p p o r t e d it. T h i s a c t i o n by t h e S o v i e t party--which is c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e s u b s e q u e n t a t t i t u d e of t h e CPSU, and p a r t i c u l a r l y w i t h t h e conduct o f S u s l o v a t t h e C P I c o n g r e s s t h e f o l l o w i n g A p r i l - d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t Moscow had no i n t e n t i o n of abandoning a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e CPI l e f t i s t s t o P e i p i n g and was d e t e r m i n e d t o t r y t o prevent t h e f u r t h e r p o l a r i z a t i o n of the Indian p a r t y a l o n g pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese l i n e s . While t h i s S o v i e t p o l i c y , coupled w i t h t h e a d o p t i o n of a l i n e s l i g h t l y more c r i t i c a l of Nehru, w a s e v e n t u a l l y t o improve t h e CPSU p o s i t i o n among some of t h e C P I l e f t i s t s and f o r a t i m e p r e v e n t f u r t h e r a n t i - S o v i e t o u t b r e a k s s u c h as t h e October 1960 West Bengal

107

r e s o l u t i o n , t h e l o n g - r u n o b j e c t i v e h a s n o t t o d a t e been a c h i e v e d : t h e ideological d i v i s i o n of t h e p a r t y h a s p e r s i s t e d and C h i n e s e p r e s t i g e w i t h i n s e c t i o n s o f t h e p a r t y h a s c o n t i n u e d t o be v e r y s t r o n g . The f i r s t e f f e c t of t h i s S o v i e t e f f o r t t o r e g a i n a s c e d a n c y o v e r t h e l e f t i s t s w a s t o i n h i b i t Ghosh somewhat i n h i s supp o r t f o r t h e CPSU a t t h e Moscow m e e t i n g s . Both i n t h e e d i t o r i a l commission m e e t i n g s i n O c t o b e r (which p r e p a r e d a d r a f t of t h e Bnoscow S t a t e m e n t ) and t h e f u l l 8 1 - p a r t y m e e t i n g s i n November (which f o u g h t o v e r t h e d r a f t and f i n a l l y a d o p t e d t h e S t a t e m e n t ) Ghosh made v i g o r o u s i n d i c t m e n t s o f t h e CPR's p o l i c y toward Ind i a d u r i n g t h e T i b e t a n r e v o l t and t h e growth of t h e border d i s p u t e , a l o n g t h e l i n e s of t h e September CPI r e s o l u t i o n . I n so d o i n g Ghosh backed t h e CPSU i n what w a s one of t h e p r i n c i p a l p o i n t s a t i s s u e i n t h e Moscow d e b a t e s between Teng Hsiao-ping and t h e S o v i e t spokesmen: Communist p o l i c y toward Nehru and o t h e r l e a d e r s of t h e n a t i o n a l bourgeoisie. I n c e r t a i n o t h e r r e s p e c t s , however, Ghosh showed a tendency t o hedge. He made s e v e r a l gestures c a l c u l a t e d t o p r o p i t i a t e admirers of P e i p i n g , and, most n o t a b l y , d i d n o t s u p p o r t t h e CPSU on t h e c e n t r a l q u e s t i o n a t s t a k e i n t h e conference--the q u e s t i o n of a u t h o r i t y w i t h i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement, and whether o r n o t a condemnat i o n o f " f a c t i o n a l a c t i v i t y " s h o u l d be i n c l u d e d in t h e S t a t e m e n t -(Which w o u l d 'imply Chinese accept.ance of t h e r u l e o f t h e S o v i e t m a j o r i t y ) . I n t h e end, t h e S o v i e t s were f o r c e d t o y i e l d t o P e i p i n g on t h i s p o i n t r a t h e r t h a n a c c e p t an open s p l i t i n t h e world movement, and t h e f i n a l document d i d n o t condemn f a c t i o n a l a c t i v i t y . According t o an I t a l i a n p a r t y r e p o r t on t h e c o n f e r e n c e r e g a r d e d a s p m b a b l y t r u e , t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t e s , w h i l e supp o r t i n g most e l e m e n t s o f t h e S o v i e t l i n e , made it known t h a t t h e y would n o t s i g n t h e document u n l e s s t h e Chinese a g r e e d t o i t , because t h e CPI would o t h e r w i s e have s p l i t i n t o proS o v i e t and pro-Chinese s e g m e n t s . I t is t h i s c o n c e r n t o secure t h e c o n t i n u e d a d h e r e n c e of t h e C P I l e f t i s t s which seems t o have r e s t r a i n e d Ghosh's c o n d u c t . Bhupesh Gupta, t h e p r i n c i p a l l e f t i s t on t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o n , had r e p o r t e d l y warned b e f o r e l e a v i n g I n d i a t h a t h e would n o t s u p p o r t t h e a n t i - C h i n e s e l i n e of t h e September CPI r e s o l u t i o n and might o p e n l y back P e i p i n g ; y e t a f t e r t h e c o n f e r e n c e , CBI spokesmen r e p e a t e d l y emphasized t o p a r t y m e e t i n g s t h a t Ghosh's Moscow s p e e c h had been p r e v i o u s l y e n d o r s e d by a l l m e m b e r s o f t h e C P I d e l e g a t i o n . It is

108
--

-j

p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e C P I d e l e g a t i o n succeeded i n p e r s u a d i n g Gupta n o t t o o b j e c t t o Ghosh's l i n e on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e o n c o n d i t i o n t h a t GhoBh d e c l i n e d t o s u p p o r t t h e CPSU on t h e q u e s t i o n o f f a c t i o n a l i s m and d i s c i p l i n e , a more v i t a l matter b o t h t b t h e CCP and t o its I n d i a n a d h e r e n t s . P r i v a t e Meetings w i t h CPSU and CCP: A t t k close of t h e Moscow c o n f e r e n c e , t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o n had s e v e r a l p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h e S o v i e t leaders, w h i l e Gupta a l s o a p p e a r s t o have c o n f e r r e d w i t h t h e CCP r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , t o whom h e w a s i n t r o d u c e d by Peng Chen, whom h e had m e t a t B u c h a r e s t . Dange a l s o s u b s e q u e n t l y claimed t h a t t h e r e had been a s e p a r a t e t h r e e way meeting of t h e C P I , CPSU, and CCP, a t whichihe and a n unnamed Chinese d e l e g a t e had a h e a t e d v e r b a l exchange, c a l l i n g e a c h o t h e r " r e v i s i o n i s t " and " a d v e n t u r i s t I' According t o Dange, a t t h i s m e e t i n g t h e CCP f i n a l l y agreed t h a t it would n o t create any more i n c i d e n t s on t h e I n d i a n b o r d e r b e f o r e t h e 1962 e l e c t i o n s , t o a v o i d f u r t h e r i n j u r y t o t h e CPI. While t h e r e is n o t h i n g improbable i n t h i s - - a n d w h i l e s u c h a C h i n e s e commitment would be c o n s i s t e n t w i t h a n o t h e r commitment which P e i p i n g is r e p o r t e d t o have made t o Khrushchev t o g i v e him a p e r i o d of grace of undetermined l e n g t h t o t e s t t h e i n t e n t i o n s of t h e new American a d m i n i s t r a t i o n - - D a n g e ' s claim h a s n o t been confirmed, and h a s been d e n i e d by c e r t a i n o f t h e C P I l e f t i s t s .

The e n t i r e CPI d e l e g a t i o n seems t o have c o n f e r r e d w i t h S u s l o v a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of December, w h i l e Ghosh a l o n e had a n o t h e r i n t e r v i e w w i t h S u s l o v and Ponomarev on t h e 9 t h , a f t e r t h e rest o f t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o n had gone home. Only t w o p o i n t s emerge w i t h any c l a r i t y from these p r i v a t e c o n f e r e n c e s . F i r s t , t h e Soviets again declined t o f u r n i s h t h e CPI with a clear-cut l i n e t o t a k e toward Nehru, a g a i n u n h e l p f u l l y t e l l i n g t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o work o u t its own p o l i c y w i t h o u t regard t o t h e p u b l i c S o v i e t a t t i t u d e toward t h e Prime M i n i s t e r . Secondly, it seems t o have been a g r e e d between t h e Sov i e t s and t h e I n d i a n l e a d e r s t h a t a p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o power would n o t be p o s s i b l e i n I n d i a w i t h o u t t h e c r e a t i o n of a n armed r e v o l u t i o n a r y c a p a b i l i t y as a second s t r i n g t o t h e p a r t y ' s bows t o be h e l d i n r e s e r v e . T h e CPSU had been p r e s s i n g t h e CPI off and on f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s t o b u i l d up s u c h a s u b s i d i a r y underground mechanism, and had sometimes encount e r e d c o n s i d e r a b l e r e s i s t a n c e t o t h i s s u g g e s t i o n from t h e adh e r e n t s o f t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y l i n e , i n c l u d i n g Ghosh--resistance about which t h e I n d i a n m i l i t a n t s and P e i p i n g had b o t h b i t t e r l y complained. Following t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e e t i n g

109

-m

i n Meerut i n ,November 1959, a t a t i m e when t h e C P I was s e r i o u s l y e x p e c t i n g t o be o u t l a w e d as a r e s u l t of t h e Chinese b o r d e r crisis, t h e p a r t y had r e p o r t e d l y d e c i d e d t o r e a c t i v a t e its underground a p p a r a t u s . O r g a n i z a t i o n a l work a l o n g t h i s l i n e had a p p a r e n t l y been:suspended i n t h e m i d d l e of 1960, however, as a r e s u l t d f i n s e c u r i t y r e s u l t i n g from f a c t i o n a l a c t i v i t y assoclated w i t h t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e . ( I n answer t o a quest i o n from a f o r e i g n Communist d e l e g a t e a t t h e Vietnamese P a r t y Congress i n September, Konar had r e p o r t e d l y d e c l a r e d t h a t t h e CPI did n o t t h e n have an underground o r g a n i z a t i o n f u n c t i o n i n g on an a l l - I n d i a scale, b u t t h a t s u c h an o r g a n i z a t i o n e x i s t e d i n West Bengal which c o u l d g i v e s h e l t e r t o p a r t y m e m b e r s i n t i m e s of crisis. )
I

The renewed S o v i e t e f f o r t i n Moscow i n December t o have t h e I n d i a n p a r t y r e t u r n t o b u i l d i n g an underground o r g a n i z a t i o n w a s p r o b a b l y t h e r e s u l t of t h r e e f a c t o r s : first, a Sov i e t estimate'.that a p o s s i b i l i t y e x i s t e d t h a t right-wing m i l i t a r y d i c t a t o r s h i p c o u l d e v o l v e i n I n d i a a f t e r Nehru's death; s e c o n d , t h e a d o p t i o n of a somewhat more m i l i t a n t CPSU l i n e t h a n h e r e t o f o r e toward t h e n a t i o n a l 1 b e r a t i o n movement i n i g e n e r a l e l t h o u g h t h i s l i n e w a s s t i l l c o n s i d e r a b l y more c a u t i o u s t h a n t h a t of P e i p i n g ) ; and t h i r d , l i k e l y CPSU awareness t h a t t h e C P I l e f t i s t s had begun t o bypass Moscow i n a p p e a l i n g t o P e i p i n g f o r h e l p i n b u i l d i n g an underground o r g a n i z a t i o n .

II
i

i I

II
\
I

110

VI.

THE I N D I A K PkRTY APPROACHES A SPLIT:

1961
1

The y e a r 1960 ended w i t h t h e l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e CPI cont i n u i n g t o r e p o r t t o t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y and t o r e c e i v e g u i d a n c e from i t , w h i l e g a t h e r i n g s t r e n g t h t h r o u g h o u t I n d i a f o r an ass a u l t on t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y machinery i n 1961. T h e r e w a s a g r a d u a l i n c r e a s e i n l e f t i s t s t r e n g t h and a s s e r t i v e n e s s t h r o u g h o u t t h e Indian p a r t y before t h e p a r t y congress m e t i n April 1961, and S u s l o v , t h e CPSU d e l e g a t e t o t h a t c o n g r e s s , w a s obl i g e d t o c o u n s e l Ghosh t o make s u b s t a n t i a l c o n c e s s i o n s t o t h e l e f t i s t s on t h e wording of t h e p a r t y ' s p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i d n t o p r e s e r v e Ghosh i n o f f i c e as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y and t o p r e v e n t a t h r e a t e n e d open s p l i t i n t h e p a r t y . T h e r e is good e v i dence, n e v e r t h e l e s s , t h a t t h e CPSU and Ghosh t h e m s e l v e s f a v o r e d a b a l a n c e d l i n e i n c l u d i n g b o t h s u p p o r t and c r i t i c i s m o f asp e c t s of N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n and d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s , and a longt e r m s t r a t e g y of b u i l d i n g a n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t t h r o u g h c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h " p r o g r e s s i v e " Congress P a r t y l e a d e r s t o a c h i e v e l i m i t e d n o n - s o c i a l i s t r e f o r m s as a p r e l u d e t o t h e g r a d u a l Communist assumption of power. S u s l o v d i d n o t have t o contend w i t h d i r e c t C h i n e s e c o m p e t i t i o n a t t h e C P I C o n g r e s s , t h e p r o s p e c t i v e CCP r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s h a v i n g been o r d e r e d t o l e a v e I n d i a beforehand by t h e N e w D e l h i government. While t h e new N a t i o n a l Council e l e c t e d by t h e Congress had a reduced r i g h t i s t m a j o r i t y - - b e c a u s e of t h e l e f t i s t s ' t h r e a t t o b r e a k up t h e p a r t y u n l e s s t h e i r w i s h e s were acceded t o - - t h e r i g h t i s t s s u b s e q u e n t l y used t h i s N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m a j o r i t y t o r e v e r s e l e f t i s t c o n t r o l of t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee and t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , t h e two t o p p a r t y org a n s charged w i t h r u n n i n g t h e p a r t y . When Ghosh l e d a b a l a n c e d CPI d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e 22nd CPSU Congress i n O c t o b e r , howe v e r , even moderates who w e r e normally s t a u n c h CPSU s u p p o r t e r s were shaken by t h e open a t t a c k s t h e r e on t h e Albanian l e a d e r s a n d t h e renewed a s s a u l t on S t a l i n . Ghosh i n d i c a t e d h i s reserv a t i o n s about Khrushchev's course of a c t i o n by d e c l i n i n g t o a t t a c k Albania i n h i s s p e e c h t o t h e CPSU Congress--like a numb e r of o t h e r n o r m a l l y pro-CPSU f o r e i g n d e l e g a t e s - - a l t h o u g h t w o months l a t e r , a g a i n l i k e t h e l e a d e r s of sonle o t h e r p a r t i e s , he b e l a t e d l y added his m i l d d i s a p p r o v a l o f t h e A l b a n i a n s . Greater t u r m o i l r e s u l t e d w i t h i n t h e 'CPI as a consequence of t h i s CPSU Congress t h a n had ever e x i s t e d b e f o r e , b o t h b e c a u s e of t h e new CPSU o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t Albania and t h e CCP and

. .

i
~

11 1

. ,
I

. .

.. . .

',.

b e c a u s e o f t h e a t t a c k s o n S t a l i n and t h e d i s p l a c e m e n t of S t a l i n ' s body. There were w i d e s p r e a d a t t a c k s on Moscow and Khrushchev o v e r t h e s e a c t i o n s w i t h i n a l l f a c t i o n s of t h e CPI, and a t l e a s t one p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n - - t h a t of Andhra Pradesh--passed a resolution condemning t h e CPSU, t h e second s u c h r e s o l u t i o n t o be p a s s e d w i t h i n t h e C P I i n l i t t l e more t h a n a y e a r . Ghosh Bvent u a l l y p u b l i s h e d an a r t i c l e p u b l i c l y r e g r e t t i n g t h e manner i n which Moscow had a g a i n embarked on d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n , and d e c l a r i n g t h a t t h e CPSU had f o r f e i t e d its claim t o i n f a l l i b i l i t y . These i n t e r n a l d i f f i c u l t i e s of t h e CPI were g r e a t l y augmented by t h e s i m u l t a n e o u s r e k i n d l i n g of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n bord e r d i s p u t e , a s t a t e m e n t by Ghosh s t r o n g l y a t t a c k i n g t h e CPR and a s u b s e q u e n t P e o p l e ' s D a i l y e d i t o r i a l condemning b o t h Nehru 1 b o t h l e f t i s t and r i g h t i s t CPI and Ghosh. A t t h e close 0 , l e a d e r s were warning of t h e l i k e l i h o o d of an open s p l i t i n the I n d i a n p a r t y a f t e r t h e e l e c t i o n s of February 1962. While it seemed l i k e l y t h a t t h e CPSU w o u l d make e v e r y e f f o r t a g a i n t o p r e v e n t s u c h a s p l i t , Moscow's chances of s u c c e s s i n this ef o r t were dependent on s u c h f a c t o r s as t h e f u t u r e c o u r s e of S i n o - S o v i e t r e l a t i o n s , t h e f o r t u n e s of t h e " p e a c e f u l coexistence" l i n e , and t h e number of c o n c e s s i o n s Moscow was w i l l i n g t o m a k e a g a i n t o t h e C P I l e f t i s t s . The S o v i e t problem w a s f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t e d by t h e d e a t h of Ghosh i n J a u n a r y 1962, and t h e lack o f a s u i t a b l e s u c c e s s o r combining l o y a l t y t o t h e CPSU w i t h a c c e p t a b i l i t y t o b o t h wings of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y .
A.

Lef & F a c t i o n Resurgence Before t h e A p r i l Congress

The l o n g and d e f i a n t s t r u g g l e of t h e Chinese p a r t y a g a i n s t t h e CPSU in Moscow b e f o r e t h e e y e s of t h e e n t i r e movement, t h e n e a r - s t a n d o f f between C h i n e s e and S o v i e t p o s i t i o n s i n t h e f i n a l S t a t e m e n t of t h e Moscow Conference, t h e S o v i e t s u r r e n d e r t o P e i p i n g on t h e key i s s u e o f whether t o condemn f a c t i o n a l i s m i n t h e S t a t e m e n t , and above a l l , t h e f a c t t h a t b o t h t h e CCP and t h e Ind i a n p a r t y l e f t i s t s stood unpunished and unchastened a f t e r t h e i r d i r e c t a t t a c k s on t h e CPSU--all t h i s had t h e e f f e c t of encouragi n g t h e m i l i t a n t wing of t h e CPI, of emboldening t h e s e l e f t i s t s i n t h e i r e f f o r t s t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e i r p o s i t i o n throughout t h e p a r t y i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e c a p t u r e of c o n t r o l of t h e p a r t y a t t h e coming p a r t y c o n g r e s s . The most immediate s i g n of t h i s emboldened l e f t i s t a t t i t u d e was found i n t h e b l a t a n t l y anti-Khrushchev and anti-CPSU w h i s p e r i n g campaign a b o u t t h e Moscow e o n f e r e n c e which w a s cond u c t e d w i t h i n t h e p a r t y s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e c o n f e r e n c e by t h e l e f t i s t s i n t h e p a r t y center--Basavapunniah, Bhupesh Gupta, and p a r t i c u l a r l y Ranadive. D i s s e m i n a t e d i n t h i s way w e r e t h e
- 112 -

a s s e r t i o n s t h a t t h e CCP had been s u p p o r t e d a g a i n s t Moscow by a l l t h e Asian p a r t i e s e x c e p t I n d i a , by many L a t i n American p a r t i e s , and by C z e c h o s l o v a k i a as w e l l as A l b a n i a ; t h a t t h e S o v i e t s had r e p l i e d i n a weak and u n s a t i s f a c t o r y way t o Teng H s i a o - p i n g ' s p o w e r f u l criticisms of Khrushchev and h i s p o l i c i e s , and t h a t t h e CPSU had e v e n t u a l l y been forced t o acknowledge t h a t it had made major m i s t a k e s ; t h a t t h e S o v i e t s had s p e c i f i n canp admitted t h a t t h e i r c r i t i c i s m of China on t h e b o r d e r iss u e had been wrong; t h a t Moscow had agreed t o s u p p o r t w h a t e v e r p o l i c y t h e CPR a d o p t e d i n t h e f u t u r e on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e ; t h a t P e i p i n g had been g i v e n a u t h o r i t y o v e r a l l t h e Asian p a r t i e s , and p a r t i c u l a r l y o v e r t h e CPI,* and t h a t S u s l o v had s t e r n l y overcome Ghosh's o b j e c t i o n s t o t h i s ; and f i n a l l y , t h a t Moscow had agreed t o s u p p l y P e i p i n g w i t h . t h e . t e c b i c a 1 knowledge and a l l t h e a s s i s t a n c e needed for t h e p r o d u c t i o n of atomic weapons. I t is v i r t u a l l y c e r t a i n t h a t a l l of these s t a t e m e n t s were f a l s e ; b u t what w a s more s i g n i f i c a n t was t h e o p e n l y a n t i - S o v i e t a t t i t u d e which t h e l e f t i s t s now were w i l l i n g t o convey t h r o u g h s u c h f a b r i c a t i o n s . T h i s d e f i a n t l e f t i s t a t t i t u d e w a s also d e m o n s t r a t e d B t C P I p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y m e e t i n g s toward t h e close of t h e y e a r . I n l a t e November, a m e e t i n g o t h e West Bengal p a r t y by a n overwhelming v o t e f o r m a l l y reaffirmed t h e p r o - P e i p i n g and anti-CPSU r e s o l u t i o n a d o p t e d t h e p r e v i o u s month. S p e a k i n g a t t h i s m e e t i n g , Konar r e p o r t e d l y s t a t e d t h a t he and t h e West Bengal Communist P a r t y would n e v e r a c c e p t a "Moscow l i n e t h a t d i d n o t c o r r e s p o n d t o t h e I n d i a n r e a l i t i e s . " H e added t h a t t h e day of abject CPI a c c e p t a n c e of Moscow p o l i c y w a s o v e r , t h a t " p o l i c y made i n MOSCOW" no l o n g e r c a r r i e d much p r e s t i g e . He s a i d t h a t t h e West Bengal p a r t y would u n d e r t a k e a f u l l p r o gram of p e a s a n t and i n d u s t r i a l a g i t a t i o n t h e n e x t y e a r which would " f u r t h e r v i n d i c a t e t h e West Bengal CP s t a n d t h a t cont i n u e d s o c i a l r e v o l u t i o n as c o n c e i v e d by t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y is v i t a l t o t h e I n d a i n Communist movement." Konar c i t e d t h e cases of Cuba, Algeria, and t h e Congo t o s u p p o r t t h e c l a i m t h a t s o c i a l r e v o l u t i o n , even u s i n g v i o l e n t means, d i d n o t mean an i n e v i t a b l e i n t e r n a t i o n a l war; he professed t o b e l i e v e t h a t China had e x t e n d e d s u p p o r t a l l t h e way t o Cuba, and would t h e r e f o r e have no d i f f i c u l t y i n s u p p o r t i n g t h e C P I . In s h o r t ,

\
I .

. .

'

. .

*This r e p o r t r e c u r r e d s e v e r a l t i m e s ; it seems t o b e t h e f a v o r i t e w i s h - f a n t a s y of t h e CPI l e f t f a c t i o n .

113

--

h e h e l d t h a t t h e S o v i e t t h e s i s of p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e had been used m e r e l y as a n e x c u s e for i n a c t i v i t y by the I n d i a n p a r t y , and h e r e f u s e d t o p u t up w i t h t h i s . L e f t - f a c t i o n a s s e r t i v e n e s s a l s o w a s marked a t m e e t i n g s of t h e Kerala and Andhra p a r t i e s h e l d i n e a r l y December; moderate leaders i n b o t h o r g a n i z a t i o n s w e r e r e p o r t e d shocked a t t h e d e g r e e t o which l e f t i s t s e n t i m e n t had i n c r e a s e d . In Kerala, e x t r e m i s t s were encouraged by t h e swing toward t h e l e f t o f f o r m e r c h i e f m i n i s t e r Namboodiripad, who had grown i n c r e a s i n g l y dfisallusioned w i t h Ghosh's moderate l i n e s i n c e t h e ouster o f t h e Kerala government i n 1959. powerful l e f t i s t bloc l e d by Sundarayya now c o Inr o l e d n e a r l y nt a h a l f t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y ; h e r e t h e l e f t i s t s r e f u s e d c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e r i g h t i s t leaders and were able t o p r e v e n t t h e e l e c t i o n of new p a r t y o r g a n & o r t h e a d o p t i o n of a p o l i t i c a l r e p o r t . .

%Idhra,

December National Council Meeting : T h i s l e f t i s t off ens i v e was a l s o marked a t t h e tumultuous meetings o f t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee and t h e N a t i o n a l Council which m e t i n Bombay a t t h e y e a r ' s e n d t o h e a r r e p o r t s on t h e Moscow conf e r e n c e . It w a s l a t e r claimed t h a t t h e r i g h t i s t leaders a t t h e CEC m e e t i n g cast doubt on t h e r e a l i t y of t h e " u n i t y " a c h i e v e d between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP a t Moscow, f o r which t h e y were denounced by t h e l e f t i s t s . S e v e r a l a c c o u n t s agree t h a t t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l h e a r d c o n f l i c t i n g e x p l a n a t i o n s of t h e meaning of t h e ambiguous Moscow Statement from t h e opposi n g f a c t i o n s r e p r e s e n t e d on t h e Moscow dZlGgation-,.: w i t h Gupta and Namboodiripad r e p o r t e d l y p r o v i d i n g . an i n t e r p r e t a t i o n " a l o n g t h e l i n e s o f t h e Chinese a r t i c l e Long L i v e Lenin- 'I p o r t r a y i n g t h e S t a t e m e n t as a c c e p t i n g t h e C C E Z e m t , ism, w h i l e Ghosh, Dange and RamamurW t o o k t h e o p p o s i n g l i n e . Much of t h e N a t i o n a l Council debate a p p a r e n t l y c e n t e r e d on t h e c o n c e p t of t h e " n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c s t a t e " , which t h e CPSU had had i n s e r t e d in t h e Moscow S t a t e m e n t t o c o n n o t e a t r a n s i t i o n a l p h a s e between a former c o l o n y ' s achievement o f p o l it i c a l independence and t h e assumption of d i r e c t Communist c o n t r o l . The n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c s t a t e w a s t h e r e d e f i n e d as one which had won c o m p l e t e economic independence from t h e imp e r i a l i s t world and assumed c l o s e economic t i e s w i t h t h e b l o c ; which had a d o p t e d an " a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t " f o r e i g n p o l i c y ; i n which t h e state-owned s e c t o r had become predominant i n t h e ecocomy; and i n which a list of "democratic reforms" and

- 114

--

"democratic freedoms" had been a c h i e v e d , t w o 09 t h e most imp o r t a n t of which were l a n d reform and freedonl of a c t i v i t y f o r t h e Communist p a r t y . The n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c s t a t e would be ruled by a broad u n i t e d " a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t f r o n t " embracing " a l l p a t r i o t i c s t r a t a " of t h e c o u n t r y c o n c e r n e d , i n c l u d i n g n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , p e a s a n t r y , and p r o l e t a r i a t . Although it has been i m p l i e d by Soviet a r t i c l e s t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t ( t h e Communist P a r t y ) would have some importance i n t h i s coalit i o n , t h e minimum d e g r e e of Communist i n f l u e n c e acceptable i n a n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t and t h e l e n g t h of t i m e t h e Communist p a r t y s h o u l d be w i l l i n g t o w a i t t o s e c u r e fdrni cont r o l have n e v e r been s p e l l e d o u t by Moscow. P e i p i n g , l o n g h o s t i l e t o S o v i e t g r a d u a l i s t i c and e v o l u t i o n a r y n o t i o n s on t h e Communist assumption of power i n underdeveloped c o u n t r i e s , h a s been s u s p i c i o u s l e s t t h e new c o n c e p t be u s e d t o j u s t i f y a f u r t h e r i n d e f i n i t e d e l a y i n t h e achievement of Communist hegemony. Unlike Moscow, P e i p i n g h a s therefore n e v e r p u b l i c l y mentioned t h e n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c s t a t e , and i n f a c t w a s t o p r i n t a v e i l e d . attack on t h e c o n c e p t in People's D a i l y on 10 October 1961, on t h e e v e of t h e 22nd CPSU C o n g r e s s .

Against t h e background of t h i s fresh Sino-Soviet disagreement o v e r a c o n c e p t j u s t placed i n t h e e q u i v o c a l Moscow S t a t e ment, t h e I n d i a n p a r t y leaders s p l i t i n t o three groups a t t h e December N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e e t i n g i n t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e c o n c e p t t o I n d i a . An extreme r i g h t i s t g r o u p - c o n s i d e r e d I n d i a a l r e a d y a n a t i o n a l democratic s t a t e , t h o u g h t t h e I n d i a n bourg e o i s i e w a s c o m p l e t i n g t h e democratic r e v o l u t i o n i n a c o n s i s t ent manner, and wished t o s u p p o r t Nehru on a l l major p o l i c i e s . A c e n t r i s t - m o d e r a t e r i g h t i s t group d i d n o t t h i n k I n d i a now a n a t i o n a l democracy, b u t t h o u g h t it c o u l d become s o ; t h i s g r o u p wished t o oppose t h e . r e a c t i o n a r y p o l i c i e s of t h e Congress government b u t t o s u p p o r t t h e p r o g r e s s i v e o n e s , and t o m a k e N e h r u ' s p r o g r e s s i v e p o l i c i e s t h e b a s i s f o r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t i n which t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e would i n e f f e c t be allowed t o r e m a i n t e m p o r a r i l y i n t h e l e a d . , The l e f t i s t s , who were numerous, t h o u g h t Nehru's government was l e a n i n g more and more toward f e u d a l i s m and i m p e r i a l i s m , and called f o r a n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t l e d by t h e workers and p e a s a n t r y which s u i t a b l e b o u r g e o i s e l e m e n t s would be a l lowed t o j o i n b u t n o t t o lead; t h i s f r o n t would l e a d a s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e r e a c t i o n a r y p o l i c i e s of t h e Nehru government. T h i s i n t e r n a l p a r t y debate, of c e n t q a l importance t o C P I p o l i c y , reached no c o n c l u s i o n a t t h e December 1960 N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l

115

. , . ..
I .

meeting, and w a s t o be resumed a g a i n a t a similar m e e t i n g in F e b r u a r y 1961 and s t i l l a g a i n a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s i n A p r i l . A p a r t y commission w a s meanwhile s e t up t o c o n s i d e r t h i s iss u e i n p r e p a r i n g a p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n f o r t h e F e b r u a r y Nat i o n a l C o u n c i l m e e t i n g . (A s e c o n d commission was t o write a new d r a f t c o n s t i t u t i o n f o r t h e p a r t y , and a t h i r d t o s t u d y p a r t y p o l i c y toward t h e border d i s p u t e . ) While t h e l e f t i s t s were t h u s stalemated on t h e q u e s t i o n of " n a t i o n a l democracy, '' t h e y were a p p a r e n t l y s u c c e s s f u l i n i m p a r t i n g a more m i l i t a n t and r e v o l u t i o n a r y t o n e t o t h e meeting g e n e r a l l y ; i n l i n e w i t h t h e e a r l i e r S o v i e t s t i p u l a t i o n in Moscow, t h e N a t i o n a l Counc$l members were r e p o r t e d t o have been g e n e r a l l y agreed t h a t a p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o power w a s p o s s i b l e o n l y i f p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r an armed c a p a b i l i t y were made s i m u l t a n e o u s l y . Ja5pal Singh, t h e head of t h e secret CPI o r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e I n d s a n armed forces, was s u b s e q u e n t l y s a i d t o have been h e a r t e n e d by t h i s new m i l i t a n t t r e n d i n t h e p a r t y and t o have d e c i d e d t o r e a c t i v a t e h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n i n May 1961 f o l l o w i n g an e x p e c t e d v i c t o r y of t h e l e f t f a c t i o n a t t h e p a r t y congress. Meanwhile, t h e leftists--aware t h a t t h e c e s s a t i o n of S i n o - S o v i e t p o l e m i c s as a r e s u l t of t h e Moscow m e e t i n g had l e f t t h e September CEC r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g China o u t of date-moved t o have t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l f o r m a l l y r e p u d i a k e t h e r e s o l u t i o n . While t h i s e f f o r t n a r r o w l y f a i l e d , s e v e r a l sources agree t h a t t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l t a c i t l y d e c i d e d t o r e t u r n t o t h e compromise l i n e on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e e n u n c i a t e d a t M e e r u t i n November 1959, when t h e C P I had upheld t h e MacMahon l i n e i n t h e e a s t , termed t h e Ladakh border i n t h e w e s t u n d e f i n e d , and r e f u s e d t o a s s i g n blame t o e i t h e r c o u n t r y f o r t h e d i s p u t e . No p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t on t h e border i s s u e w a s made, however. CCP Guidance t o L e f t i s t s (December-February): During t h e months i m m e d i a t e l y f o l l o w i n g t h e Moscow Conference t h e l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e C P I w a s f u r t h e r encouraged by a series of cont a c t s w i t h C h i n e s e embassy o f f i c i a l s i n which Ranadive and h i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f u r n i s h e d t h e CCP w i t h a r u n n i n g a c c o u n t of t h e c u r r e n t p r o g r e s s of t h e CPI f a c t i o n a l b a t t l e as w e l l as an elaborate a s s e s s m e n t of t h e h i s t o r y of t h a t b a t t l e o v e r the p a s t t w o y e a r s . I n r e t u r n , P e i p i n g f u r n i s h e d t h e CPI m i l i t a n t s w i t h r e p e a t e d o r a l and w r i t t e n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of t h e 1960 Moscow S t a t e m e n t and g u i d a n c e i n t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of

. . .
I

I
i

.,

- 116

t h e p r o v i s i o n s of t h a t S t a t e m e n t t o I n d i a . The e s s e n c e o f t h e Chinese a d v i c e was t o r e g a r d t h e Moscow S t a t e m e n t as g u i d a n c e t o p a r t i e s n o t i n power t o a d o p t a new and more m i l i t a n t l i n e f o r t h e a t t a i n m e n t of power. Thig w a s s a i d by P e i p i n g t o p e r t a i n e s p e c i a l l y " t o newly l i b e r a t e d c o u n t r i e s where t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e is n o t b e i n g c a r r i e d o n , " s p e c i f i c a l l y i n c l u d i n g I n d i a , f o r whom t h e q u e s t i o n o f n a t i o n a l democracy d i d n o t a p p l y . The CCP found i n t h e S t a t e m e n t t h e " i m p l i c i t " a s s e r t i o n t h a t p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e between a Communist n a t i o n and a n e w l y - l i b e r a t e d c a p i t a l i s t c o u n t r y d o e s n o t r e q u i r e t h e Communist p a r t y of t h e l a t t e r c o u n t r y t o g i v e . up its s t r u g g l e f o r Communism f o r t h e sake of good r e l a t i o n s between t h e t w o c o u n t r i e s ; t h i s , s a i d P e i p i n g , " c l a r i f i e d " t h e c o n c e p t of p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e which had c o n f u s e d some p a r t i e s i n t h e p a s t (meaning t h e C P I , among o t h e r s ) and had l e d t o a p a c i f i s t a p p r o a c h . While t h e CPSU would a l s o maint a i n ( a n d . h a d m a i n t a i n e d f o r g e a r s ) t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d n o t . g i v e up its s t r u g g l e for Communism o r a d o p t a " p a c i f i s t y approach f o r t h e sake of S o v i e t - I n d i a n r e l a t i o n s , it is c e r t a i n t h a t Moscow w o u l d n o t read i n t o t h i s v e r y b r o a d n e g a t i v e generalization t h e authorization f o r a m i l i t a n t , across-theboard o f f e n s i v e a g a i n s t t h e I n d i a n government which P e i p i n g w a s t r y i n g t o commend t o t h e CPI l e f t i s t s .

...

...

CPI-CCP Correspondence:

In t h e m i d s t of t h e s e d e a l i n g s

w i t h t h e CPI l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s , P e i p i n g a t t h e end of Decemb e r is b e l i e v e d t o have s e n t a f o r m a l p a r t y l e t t e r t o CPI head-

q u a r t e r s - - t h e o n l y s u c h message known t o have been s e n t t h r o u g h o f f i c i a l p a r t y c h a n n e l s a f t e r t h e Moscow Conference.

ULL~LLS

on

Lnis

c n i n e s e message lit w a s concerned i n

t h e CCP e x p r e s s e d r e a d i n e s s t o s u p d o r t any j u s t s t r u g g l e s of

117

..

..

....

..

_ .

t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e and e x p e c t e d t h e C I t o r e c i p r o c a t e on i n P t e r n a t i o n a l issues of c o n c e r n t o P e l p i n g ; t h e I n d i a n p a r t y was p a r t i c u l a r l y e x p e c t e d t o oppose and expose t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e when t h e l a t t e r i n s t i g a t e d b o r d e r d i f f i c u l t i e s .

Ghosh C i r c u l a r R e p o r t : Meanwhile, i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e expected battle a t the forthcoming National Council meeting in F e b r u a r y , soon a f t e r t h e close of t h e December N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l s e s s i o n Ghosh, w i t h t h e probable a s s i s t a n c e of Dange, drew up a c i r c u l a r r e p o r t on t h e Moscow m e e t i n g f o r c i r c u l a t i o n t o a l l N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e m b e r s . T h i s report w a s n o t a b l e f o r its p o l e m i c a l t o n e . I t emphasized more t h a n o n c e t h a t w h i l e a l l p a r t i e s had p a r t i c i p a t e d i n p r e p a r i n g t h e Moscow S t a t e m e n t and w h i l e a l l p a r t i e s were equal, t h e CPSU had p l a y e d t h e "leadi n g and g u i d i n g r o l e . . i n p r e p a r i n g t h e D r a f t and i n convening and s t e e r i n g t h e c o n f e r e n c e . " Ghosh followed t h i s up by r e i t e r a t i n g t h e S o v i e t l i n e and a t t a c k i n g t h e CCP p o s i t i o n on t h e p r e v e n t a b i l i t y and t h e consequences of w a r , warning (as U l b r i c h t had done p u b l i c l y i n h i s r e p o r t o n t h e Moscow Confere n c e t o t h e E a s t German C e n t r a l Committee i n December) t h a t it w a s ''wrong" t o want t o c o n c e a l t h e d e s t r u c t i v e n e s s of n u c l e a r w a r f r o m t h e p e o p l e . Ghosh endorsed t h e S o v i e t claim t h a t t h e i r p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e was " t h e g e n e r a l l i n e of t h e f o r e i g n p o l i c y of t h e s o c i a l i s t countries'*--a p o i n t which is known t o have been k e p t o u t of t h e Moscow S t a t e m e n t a t C h i n e s e i n s i s t e n c e . Ghosh d e n i e d t h a t t h e demand f o r g e n e r a l disarmament (a p r i n c i p a l S o v i e t p o i n t ) was a " b o u r g e o i s l i b e r al" s l o g a n , b r e e d i n g " i l l u s i o n s about i m p e r i a l i s m " (as t h e CCP had r e p e a t e d l y s a i d it w a s ) . He s a i d it w a s t h e t a s k of a l l Communist p a r t i e s t o approach t h e m o b i l i z a t i o n of t h e m a s ses "through simple and c l e a r s l o g a n s and a n o n - s e c t a r i a n approach." He s t a t e d t h a t it was one of t h e aims of p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e " t o draw closer towards t h e s o c i a l i s t camp t h e n e w l y - l i b e r a t e d and p e a c e - l o v i n g s t a t e s , t h u s c o n s o l i d a t i n g and e x t e n d i n g t h e peace zone To t h i s clear i n d i c a t i o n of t h e approach t h e CPSU wished t o be t a k e n toward I n d i a Ghosh a f f i x e d a s t r o n g endorsement of t h e need t o create a n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t t o b r i n g about a n a t i o n a l democratic s t a t e . Such a s t a t e , h e emphasized, would n o t be t h e same as a peop l e ' s democracy, s i n c e it would be r u l e d by a c o a l i t i o n of s e v e r a l classes " i n which t h e working c l a s s and its p a r t y is an i m p o r t a n t b u t n o t y e t t h e l e a d i n g f o r c e . "

I
I
I

."

118

. . t , . ._..; ..
e .

- U *

i n g c l a s s and t h e p e a s a n t r y g r a d u a l l y t o s t r i v e t o "assume i n c r e a s i n g l y t h e l e a d i n g role" i n t h e n a t i o n a l democxaticr. s t a t e . Moreover, Ghosh a l s o p i c k e d up from t h e Moscow S t a t e ment t h e more m i l i t a n t p o s i t i o n s now a g a i n e s p o u s e d by t h e CPSU, on t h e s u b j e c t of just l i b e r a t i o n wars (which he s a i d do n o t weaken p e a c e b u t s t r e n g t h e n i t ) ; on theixommunist need t o be p r e p a r e d f o r v i o l e n t as w e l l as n o n - v i o l e n t t r a n s i t i o n t o power < c o n f i r m i n g t h e CPI d e c i s i o n s t a k e n i n Moscow i n December); on t h e need n o t t o e q u a t e t h e p e a c e f u l p a t h w i t h r e l i a n c e s o l e l y on p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s w i t h o u t r e g a r d f o r mass movements; and on t h e need t o "unmask" demagogic bourg e o i s e f f o r t s t o u s e t h e s l o g a n of socialism t o d e c e i v e t h e masses (while y e t " f u l l y s u p p o r t i n g a l l m e a s u r e s o f t h e nat i o n a l government which weaken t h e p o s i t i o n o f i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l i s m . " ) Despite t h e concessions t o militancy l i s t e d , however, Ghosh's c i r c u l a r was on t h e whole moderate i n proMost n o t a b l y , he i m gram as w e l l as vehemently pro-CPSU. p l ied. c o n s i d e r a b l e t o l e r a n c e f o r t h e " p r o g r e s s i v e r o l e " of t h e Nehru government..
A c o u p l e o f weeks a f t e r t h e d i s p a t c h o f t h i s c i r c u l a r r e p o r t , Ghosh c o u r a g e o u s l y c a r r i e d t h e b a t t l e i n t o t h e sCrongh o l d o f t h e o p p o s i t i o n by a p p e a r i n g (unexpected and unwelcome, as t h e l e f t i s t s remarked) a t a J a n u a r y c o n f e r e n c e of t h e West Bengal p a r t y S t a t e C o u n c i l . T h e r e he h e a r d J y o t i Basu, t h e West Bengal s e c r e t a r y , a t t a c k t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p as h a v i n g f a i l e d i n its r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . B a s u c h a r g e d t h a t t h e l e a d e r s h i p s h o u l d have i s s u e d a s e l f - c r i t i c a l r e p o r t on rev i s i o n i s m i n t h e CPI; he s a i d t h e " s o - c a l l e d n a t i o n a l i s t f a c t i o n h a s f o r g o t t e n Marxism and t r a i l e d behind t h e b o u r g e o i s i e ; I t h e denounced t h e r i g h t i s t s f o r h a v i n g mouthed d i a t r i b e s a g a i n s t "China and i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communism;'' and he found t h a t t h e c e n t r a l l e a d e r s h i p had h a r b o r e d i l l u s i o n s about p a r l i a m e n t a r y p o l i t i c s , which had been u s e d as a r e f u g e from which t o i g n o r e m a s s movements. A West Bengal s p e a k e r who s u b s e q u e n t l y a t tempted t o d e f e n d Ghosh's moderate program was a l m o s t s h o u t e d down, and found h i m s e l f g e n e r a l l y i s o l a t e d a t t h e m e e t i n g .
. .

<.

..

Ghosh t h a e u p o n ggt up and p u g n a c i o u s l y d e f e n d e d h i m s e l f , t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h e CPSU, and t h e moderate program he espouse d f o r t h e CPI. U l t i m a t e l y , h e s a i d , it w a s t h e S o v i e t d r a f t e n r i c h e d and e n l a r g e d by amendments and d i s c u s s i o n s t h a t had been adopted almost i n its e n t i r e t y by t h e Moscow Conference. From t h i s , f a c t ; h k ' d e c Z a r e d ,

- 119

. .

.....

..:

_.

it was proved beyond d o u b t t h a t t h e S o v i e t p a r t y was t h e leader of t h e World Communist movement-If t h i s basic b o t h i n t h e o r y and i n p r a c t i c e . f a c t were f o r g o t t e n , t h e worst form o f d e v i a $$onism might creep i n t o any n a t i o n a l p a r t y g i v i n g r i s e t o r e v i s i o n i s m and chauvinism. I t would
be c h i l d i s h t o e v e n a t t e m p t t o c h a l l e n g e t h e leade r s h i p of t h e S o v i e t P a r t y or t o t h i n k i n t h a t l i n e . It w a s q u i t e a d i f f e r e n t t h i n g t o p o i n t o u t m i s t a k e s o r q u e s t i o n c e r t a i n f o r m u l a t i o n s of t h e S o v i e t P a r t y , b u t t o q u e s t i o n its l e a d e r s h i p was altogether a f o o l i s h act. Even p o i n t i n g o u t m i s tabes o r s u g g e s t i n g possible r e c t i f i c a t i o n s s h o u l d n o t be done I n a manner so as t o undermine t h e Sov i e t P a r t y o r t o cast a s p e r s i o n s a g a i n s t it. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , Ghosh t o l d t h e West Bengal leaders, i n many c e n t e r s i n I n d i a attempts had been made t o undermine t h e l e a d e r s h i p of t h e S o v i e t p a r t y . Ghosh made a p e c u l i a r c i t a t i o n of a u t h o r i t y to d e m o n s t r a t e t h e foolishaess of s u c h a t t e m p t s : t h e Chinese p a r t y , h e c l a i m e d , however great i k s d i f f e r e n c e s w i t h t h e CPSU on c e r t a i n q u e s t i o n s , had n e v e r t r i e d i n its w r i t i n g s o r s t a t e m e n t s t o b e l i t t l e or undermine t h e S o v i e t leadership. ( T h i s would p r o b a b l y have been a good Back t o take w i t h t h e West Bengal p a r t y chiefs if t h e y had n o t had abundant e v i d e n c e t o t h e c o n t r a r y . ) Ghosh a l s o asserted t h a t one s h o u l d n o t f o r g e t t h a t democratic c e n t r a l i s m means t h a t a s t r o n g c e n t e r must g u i d e a l l lower u n i t s - - i g n o r i n g t h e fact t h a t t h e CCP a t Moscow had s p e c i f i c a l l y rejected t h e n o t i o n t h a t t h e d i s c i p l i n e of democratic c e n t r a l i s m a p p l i e s i n r e l a t i o n s between p a r t i e s of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement.

In a d d i t i o n , Ghosh upheld t h e l i n e he had marked o u t in t h e c i r c u l a r report f o r a C P I t r a n s i t i o n t o power w i t h o u t c i v i l war t h r o u g h u t i l i z a t i o n of t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y method b o l s t e r e d by a u n i t e d f r o n t of workers, p e a s a n t s and p r o g r e s si v e b o u r g e o i s i e The West Bengal p a r t y c o n f e r e n c e , however, rejected t h i s approach and adopted one emphasizing t h a t N e h r u w a s n o t t o be t r u s t e d , t h a t there c o u l d be no u n i t y " w i t h any s e c t i o n of t h e b o u r g e o i s i e who are a l l i e d w i t h t h e r u l i n g class,n t h a t t h e worker-peasant a l l i a n c e (in f a c t , t h e Communist p a r t y ) m u s t lead and c o n t r o l t h e n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t f r o m t h e v e r y beganning, and t h a t a "fierce campaign" must be launched a g a i n s t t h e " a n t i - p e o p l e p o l i c y of t h e government."

J y o t i B a s u meanwhile r e t i r e d as p a r t y l e a d e r t o c o n c e n t r a t e on t h e f o r t h c o m i n g 1 9 6 1 e l e c t i o n campaign, b u t w a s r e p l a c e d by a n o t h e r promilnent l e f t i s t and s t r o n g s u p p o r t e r of t h e CCP, Promode Das Gupta. The l e f t i s t s i n c o n t r o l of t h e West Bengal machine a t t h e same t i m e s u c c e e d e d i n p u r g i n g t h e o n l y r i g h t i s t p r e v i o u s l y r e p r e s e n t e d on t h e West Bengal S e c r e t a r i a t . F e b r u a r y N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l Meeting: A few weeks l a t e r , t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e t t o d e c i d e on t h e d r a f t p o l i t i c a l and organizational r e p o r t s t o be- p l a c e d b e f o r e t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s i n April, as w e l l as on a new d r a f t program f o r t h e p a r t y t o r e p l a c e t h e one a d o p t e d i n 1951. The N a t i o n a l Council w a s also t o decide on a new p u b l i c r e s o l u t i o n on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e t o be i s s u e d by t h e p a r t y ; t h i s a p p e a r e d t o be n e c e s s i t a t e d by t h e - I n d i a n Government ' s pub1 i c a t i o n i n mid-February of t h e f i n d i n g s o f t h e I n d i a n team t h a t had been n e g o t i a t i n g w i t h t h e CPR.
In most cases, t h e party commissions t h a t had been p r e p a r i n g t h e i n d i v i d u a l d r a f t r e p o r t s had s p l i t a l o n g f a m i l i a r l i n e s i n t o r i g h t and l e f t segments, s o t h a t t h e N a t i o n a l Counc i l was p r e s e n t e d w i t h two o r more d r a f t s on e a c h s u b j e c t . F o r example, Ghosh and Ranadive e a c h p r e s e n t e d h i s v e r s i o n of t h e l o n g - a w a i t e d p a r t y p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n . Ghosh's r e s o l u t i o n s e t f o r t h t h e aim of r e p l a c i n g t h e p r e s e n t " v a c i l l a t i n g " and "compromising" government w i t h a government of a n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t which i n t u r n would f a c i l i t a t e t h e p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism. I t c a l l e d f o r a broad-based campajgn s e e k i n g t h e c o o p e r a t i o n of " p a t r i o t i c e l e m e n t s i n e v e r y p a r t y " to e s t a b l i s h t h i s f r o n t and s e c u r e g r a d u a l changes i n t h e government's p o l i c i e s . In addition t o endorsing t h e u s u a l " u n i t e d f r o n t from below" t a c t i c of s e e k i n g t o draw s u p p o r t from t h e r a n k - a n d - f i l e of t h e Congress and o f s u c h p a r t i e s as t h e P a j a S o c i a l i s t s , Ghosh's r e s o l u t i o n c a l l e d f o r t h e employment of " u n i t e d f r o n t from above" t a c t i c s i n some c a s e s - - f o r example, t h e c o n c l u s i o n o f d i r e c t a l l i a n c e s w i t h l o c a l Congress committees o r o t h e r l o c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s " t o which t h e p e a s a n t s who are n o t under our i n f l u e n c e are p o l i t i c a l l y attached."*
I

* I t was j u s t s u c h a p r o p o s a l by a m i n o r i t y r i g h t - w i n g West Bengal p a r t y l e a d e r t h a t had been a n g r i l y s h o u t e d down a t t h e J a n u a r y West Bengal p r o v i n c i a l meeting Ghosh had a d d r e s s e d .

- 121

..

..

,,

.. ..

..

<

Ghosh i d e n t i f i e d o n l y t h e extreme r i g h t of t h e Congress p a r t y and of t h e b i g b o u r g e o i s i e as t h e enemy of t h e n a t i o n a l democ r a t i c f r o n t , and c o n s e q u e n t l y d e c l a r e d t h a t t h e "democratic f o r c e s m u s t a d o p t a correct a t t i t u d e towards t h e small and medium i n d u s t r i a l i s t s " who are a n t i - i m p e r i a l i s t , and t h a t Communist-controlled trade unions m u s t even a b a t e t h e i r demands toward t h e s e i n d u s t r i a l i s k s i n t h e i n t e r e s t s o f "drawi n g them closer t o t h e d e m o c r a t i c masses." While c r i t i c i z i n g s t r o n g l y t h e I n d i a n government and Nehru f o r t h e i r p o l i c i e s toward f e u d a l i s m , Western l o a n s , l a n d r e f o r m , and t h e Communist Kerala r e g i m e , t h i s r e s o l u t i o n s e v e r a l times p r a i s e d Nehru, p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r h i s f o r e i g n p o l i c y and h i s s u p p o r t f o r t h e p u b l i c s e c t o r of t h e I n d i a n economy. I n c o n t r a s t , I t a n a d i v e ' s r e s o l u t i o n took a much h a r s h e r view of Nehru, d i d n o t s u p p o r t a l l i a n c e s w i t h l o c a 1 , C o n g r e s s committees, was n o t so eager t o b r i n g t h e bourgeoisie i n t o the d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t , and was much s t r o n g e r i n its e x p o s i t i o n o f t h e need t o s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e p o l i c i e s of t h e I n d i a n government. While Ghosh's p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n w a s approved w i t h minor amendments by t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , t h e l e f t i s t s s e c u r e d t h e r i g h t t o c i r c u l a t e R a n a d i v e ' s d r a f t w i t h Ghosh's and t o have b o t h c o n s i d e r e d by t h e p a r t y Congress in A p r i l .
A similar r e s u l t followed t h e National Council b a t t l e o v e r t h e proposed v e r s i o n s of t h e new long-range p a r t y program. Opposing d r a f t s were s u b m i t t e d by Dange and Bhupesh Gupta. Dange's d r a f t program, among o t h e r t h i n g s , r e p o r t e d l y c a l l e d f o r i n c r e a s e d emphasis on t h e development of v e r y broad p a r t y f r o n t g r o u p s i n which v e r y d i v e r s e non-Communists would be b r o u g h t t o t h e f o r e f r o n t ; stressed t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d make e v e r y e f f o r t t o win t h e s u p p o r t of p r o g r e s s i v e members of t h e Congress P a r t y t h r o u g h o u t I n d i a ; and proposed t h a t t h e CPI s u p p o r t Congressmen judged s y m p a t h e t i c t o t h e CPI i n l o c a l and n a t i o n a l e l e c t i o n s . G u p t a ' s d r a f t a t t a c k e d N e h r u ' s p o l i c i e s a t g r e a t l e n g t h , opposed t h e c r e a t i o n of more broad-based f r o n t g r o u p s and p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e u s e o f Congressmen i n t h e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s , and r e p o r t e d l y c a l l e d f o r a n i n t e r n a l purge of r i g h t i s t t e n d e n c i e s i n t h e C P I . While Dange's d r a f t was approved, Gupta a l s o won t h e r i g h t t o s u b m i t h i s t e x t t o t h e party congress.

I n t h e case of t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t , o n l y one d r a f t was submitted--by Namboodiripad--supposedly b e c a u s e t h e m i n o r i t y r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n on t h e commission p r e p a r i n g t h i s r e p o r t ha.d

122

r e f u s e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e . Namboodiripad's r e p o r t , i n a d d i t i o n t o s u b m i t t i n g a d r a f t of a new p a r t y c o n s t i t u t i o n , s e v e r e l y c h a s t i s e d t h e i n d i s c i p l i n e i n t h e p a r t y as w e l l as t h e rev i o n i s t and " P a r l i a m e n t a r y " h a b i t s of t h o u g h t h e found wides p r e a d . While t h i s r e p o r t m e t w i t h o p p o s i t i o n i n t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , it w a s f i n a l l y d e c i d e d w i t h o u t a f o r m a l v o t e t o p r e s e n t it t o t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , where more s e v e r e t r i a l s awaited i t . F i n a l l y , a s h a r p b a t t l e was f o u g h t i n t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e , w i t h i n c o n c l u s i v e results. An e f f o r t by some of t h e r i g h t i s t s t o s e c u r e an a p e a condemnation of China was overwhelmingly d e f e a t e d , and a s u b s e q u e n t attemp$ t o o b t a i n endorsement of t h e I n d i a n case on t h e b a s i s of t h e r e p o r t of t h e I n d i a n n e g o t i a t i n g team w a s b l u n t e d . E v e n t u a l l y , a r e s o l u t i o n w a s a d o p t e d and p u b l i s h e d f o r m a l l y r e i t e r a t i n g t h e Meerut November 1959 f o r m u l a ( a p p r o v a l of t h e MacLlahon l i n e in thel-east and of a n u n d e f i n e d " t r a d f t i o n a l boundary" i n t h e w e s t ) , blaming nobody, s a y i n g t h a t t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e t h i n k t h e I n d i a n case is s t r o n g b u t t h a t China a l s o t h i n k s h e r case is s t r o n g , and f e r v e n t l y c a l l i n g f o r more n e g o t i a t i o n s . However, d e s p i t e l e f t i s t p r o t e s t s , t h e r e s o l u t i o n a l s o upheld I n d i a ' s e x c l u s i v e r i g h t t o n e g o t i a t e t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f Kashmir--of which Ladakh is a p a r t - - w i t h China ( r e p r o v i n g CPR f e e l e m o n t h i s s u b j e c t t o P a k i s t a n ) , and t o c a r r y on f r o n t i e r n e g o t i a t i o n s on b e h a l f of Bhutan and Sikkim ( r e p r o v i n g Chinese e f f o r t s t o b y p a s s N ew D e l h i i n c o n t a c t i n g t h o s e two I n d i a n d e p e n d e n c i e s ) . The i n c l u s i o n of t h e s e p r o v i s i o n s was a d e f i n i t e v i c t o r y for t h e r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n .

On t h e whole, t h e N a t i o n a l Council meeting seems t o have been a s t a n d o f f , p r o v i s i o n a l l y a p p r o v i n g r i g h t i s t p o s i t i o n s on some q u e s t i o n s and l e f t i s t p o s i t i o n s on o t h e r s , e v a d i n g ' s t i l l o t h e r i s s u e s , and p a s s i n g e v e r y t h i n g on t o t h e p a r t y congress f o r t h e d e c i s i v e b a t t l e s . The l e f t i s t s t e n d e d t o be encouraged by t h i s outcome; t h e y k e p t t h e Chinese p a r t y informed of e v e n t s , and p a s s e d on t o P e i p i n g t h e i r o p t i m i s t i c f o r e cast of v i c t o r y i n A p r i l . Dange's forces, on t h e o t h e r h a n d , . were r a t h e r somber; Dange t h o u g h t t h e r i g h t i s t s had won t h e i r l a s t v i c t o r y . ( s u c h as it was) on the b o r d e r i s s u e , and e x p e c t ed a v e r y close d i v i s i o n of forces a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , w i t h t h e outcome i n d o u b t .
a '

- 123

... .

..

. .

..

'

, . . .,.,

...

..

.
.

Continued Swing Toward L f t i n Prov-nces: Information from a number of t h e CPI p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n t h e months b e f o r e t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s confirmed b o t h t h e l e f t i s t claim of a swing i n t h e i r d i r e c t i o n and Dange's estimate of a v e r y close alignment of forces. L e f t i s t a s s e r t i v e n e s s was p a r t i c u l a r l y n o t e d on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e : i n mid-February, w h i l e t h e r i g h t ists a t t h e N a t i o n a l Council meeting were v a i n l y t r y i n g to g e t t h e p a r t y t o e n d o r s e t h e r e p o r t of t h e I n d i a n n e g o t i a t i n g team, an organ of t h e Kerala p a r t y p r o m i n e n t l y p u b l i s h e d t h e g i s t of t h e r e p o r t issued by P e i p i n g ' s n e g o t i a t o r s , under t h e h e a d l i n e " I n d i a n Documents Are t h e Products of B r i t i s h Imperialism." I n West Bengal, l o c a l p a r t y m e e t i n g s were b e i n g t o l d t h a t t h e West Bengal p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n f u l l y a c c e p t e d t h e Chinese c o n t e n t i o n t h a t t h e I n d i a n government was k e e p i n g t h e b o r d e r i s s u e a l i v e i n o r d e r t o g e t a i d from t h e West. One West Bengal leader i n l a t e F e b r u a r y n o t o n l y p u b l i c l y denied t h a t t h e CPR had committed a g g r e s s i o n a g a i n s t I n d i a , b u t was quoted by t h e p r e s s as d e c l a r i n g t h a t "we s h o u l d be ashamed t o c r i t i d z e China, t h e greatesi s o c i a l i s t c o u n t r y , l i v i n g i n t h e l a n d o f beggars.?' (Emphas is s u p p l ied )

.
!

i I

An i n d e x of t h e c h a n g i n g b a l a n c e of f o r c e s i n t h e p a r t y was f u r n i s h e d by t h e r e c e p t i o n g i v e n t h e t w o d r a f t s of t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n - - G h o s h ' s v e r s i o n which had been e n d o r s e d by t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , and R a n a d i v e ' s a l t e r n a t i v e - - a s t h e y c i r c u l a t e d t h r o u g h t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s . West Bengal p a r t y s e c r e t a r y D a s Gupta t o l d t h e le'ftists on t h e C P I C e n t r a l Secretariat in mid-March t h a t h e d i d n o t i n t e n d t,o p u b l i s h t h e ' N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l r e s o l u t i o n i n t h e West Bengal o r g a n Swadhinata; s u b s e q u e n t l y , t h e West Bengal S t a t e Council overwhelmingly v o t e d t o r e j e c t . t h e N a t i o n a l Council d r a f t and to a c c e p t Ranad i v e ' s r e s o l u t i o n . I d e n t i c a l a c t i o n was t a k e n i n thd o t h e r l e f t - f a c t i o n s t r m g h o l d i n . t h e Punjab, d e s p i t e a p e r s o n a l v i s i t and p l e a by Ghosh to t r y t o s t e m t h e t i d e . Dange made a s i m i l a r appearance before t h e v a c i l l a t i n g p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n of Tamilnad, i n s o u t h I n d i a , where t h e former r i g h t i s t Ramamurthyhad been r e p o r t e d i n c l i n i n g toward khe l e f t s i n c e t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e y e a r because of t h e need t o p r e s e r v e h i s p o s i t i o n i n t h e f a c e of i n c r e a s i n g l e f t - f a c t i o n s e n t i m e n t ; d e s p i t e Dange's e f f o r t s , Tamilnad a l s o r e j e c t e d t h e Ghosh d r a f t and a c c e p t e d R a n a d i v e ' s a l t e r n a t i v e . I n A s s a m , n e i g h b o r i n g t h e West Bengal o r g a n i z a t i o n and o f t e n i n f l u e n c e d by i t , t h e p a r t y leader P h a n i B o r a , a Ghosh s u p p o r t e r , w a s o b l i g e d t o t r i m h i s s a i l s and a v o i d submitting e i t h e r r e s o l u t i o n t o a v o t e t o avoid being unseated by h i s l e f t i s t o p p o s i t i o n .

124

I n c e r t a i n o t h e r p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s , however, thp Ghosh d r a f t w a s e n d o r s e d ; and i n t h e r i g h t - f a c t i o n s t r o n g h o l d of M a h a r a s h t r a , where Dange and Ranadive h e l d a f u r i o u s debate i n mid-March, t h e leaders l a i d p l a n s t o l o b b y among uncommitted d e l e g a t i o n s a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s f o r t h e Ghos4 p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n , as w e l l as f o r a d i r e c t i n d i c t m e n t of t h e CPR on t h e border i s s u e . B. S o v i e t and C h i n e s e P o l i c y Toward I n d i a Before t h e Congress

These i n t e r n a l p a r t y s t r u g g l e s and maneuverings i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s were i n e v i t a b l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e v e r y d i f f e r e n t p o l i c i e s b e i n g p u r s u e d toward I n d i a by t h e S o v i e t Union and t h e CPR. The S o v i e t p o s t u r e toward I n d Q was composed, in e q u a l p a r t s , of a l i m i t e d amount of pressure seeking s p e c i f i c foreign-policy objectives; a f a i r amount of p u b l i c f l a t t e r i n g of I n d i a and of Nehru; and d i s creet a m b i v a l e n c e o n t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n border. The C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e , on t h e o t h e r hand, was one of s i m p l e and u n r e m i t t i n g h o s t i l i t y , i n which P e i p i n g ' s e n e r g i e s were c h i e f l y d e v o t e d t o documenting t h e c h a r g e t h a t Nehru had become an i m p e r i a l i s t l a c k e y of t h e United S t a t e s whose e v e r y move was i n i m i c a l t o t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e e n t i r e b l o c . S o v i e t P o l i c y : S o v i e t p r e s s u r e i n e a r l y 1961 w a s c h i e f l y concerned w i t h t h e q u e s t i o n of I n d i a n s u p p o r t f o r U n i t e d N a t i o n s o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e Congo, s u p p o r t which Moscow s o u g h t s t r e n u o u s l y and u n s u c c e s s f u l l y t o have withdrawn. I n t h i s eff o r t t h e USSR appears t o have worked i n close c o o r d i n a t i o n r i i t h t h e c e n t r a l l e a d e r s h i p of t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y . The December CPI N h t i o n a l Council meeting, f o r example, iss u e d a r e s o l u t i o n m i l d l y c r i t i c i z i n g t h e I n d i a n government f o r n o t h a v i n g shown i t s e l f i n "complete s o l i d a r i t y w i t h t h e l e a d i n g A f r i c a n governments" by h a v i n g r e c o g n i z e d t h e Gizenga regime i n t h e Congo. Toward t h e end of J a n u a r y , an a r t i c l e by J o s h i i n t h e R e p u b l i c Day i s s u e of N e w Age, w h i l e g e n e r a l l y p r a i s i n g N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y , c r i t i G e h i s p o l i c y toward c o l o n i a l i s m , s a y i n g t h a t New D e l h i had "remained s i l e n t t o o l o n g b e f o r e e x p r e s s i n g I n d i a n s o l i d a r i t y and on o c c a s i o n s w a s n o t f i r m enough." I n t h e t h i r d week of F e b r u a r y , Nehru r e c e i v e d l e t t e r s f r o m Khrushchev a s k i n g h i m t o s u p p o r t S o v i e t demands on t h e Congo,

I
I

125

. .

.. ....

.,

. .

. !

i n c l u d i n g t h e end of UN a c t i v i t i e s t h e r e . Bhupesh Gupta, a p a r l i a m e n t a r y spokesman of t h e C P I , r e p o r t e d l y was b r i e f e d in advance on t h e s e l e t t e r s by t h e S o v i e t Embassy, and on 27 February raised a q u e s t i o n i n Parliament designed t o o b t a i n p u b l i c acknowledgement from Nehru t h a t Khrushchev had r e q u e s t ed him n o t t o a c c e d e t o any demands from Hammarskjold: t o send I n d i a n t r o o p s t o t h e Congo. Nehru a t t h e t i m e w o u l d o n l y acknowledge h a v i n g r e c e i v e d l e t t e r s from q r u s h c h e v , b u t s u b s e q u e n t l y made h i s p o s i t i o n c l e a r by announcing t h a t h i s government would s e n d a brigade of combat t r o o p s t o s u p p o r t UN o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e Congo. Thereupon, a CPSU l e t t e r t o t h e CPI a t t h e end of F e b r u a r y r e p o r t e d l y r e q u e s t e d , among o t h e r t h i n g s , c r i t i c i s m of t h e I n d i a n government's f o r e i g n p o l i c y ' s h o r t c o m i n g s . An a r t i c l e i n I z v e s t i y a on 9 March a s k e d , i n p a s s i n g , i f it was "so e s s e n t i a l " f o r t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e t o s u p p o r t t h e "bankrupt" UN S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l ; and an a r t i c l e i n t h e CPI's weekly New Age t h r e e d a y s l a t e r d i s c r e e t l y made t h e same p o i n t . An Zia by Ghosh p u b l i s h e d in Pravdd on 5 A p r i l s a i d t h a t t h e I n d i a n government had shown "unwarranted v a c i l l a t i o n " on t h e Congo i s s u e by n o t h a v i n g r e c o g n i z e d Gizenga o r a t t a c k e d Hammarskjozd;; t h i s was r e p e a t e d i n Ghosh's s p e e c h t o t h e C P I Congress, i n t h e P o l i t i c a l R e s o l u t i o n p u b l i s h e d a f t e r t h e C o n g r e s s , and i n t h e a d v i c e S u s l o v r e p o r t e d l y gave t o CPI leaders d u r i n g t h e Congress.
The o n l y o t h e r major c r i t i c i s m made of I n d i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y by Moscow i n t h e f i r s t h a l f o f 1 9 6 1 c o n c e r n e d t h e Cuban i n v a s i o n : on 4 A p r i l , an a r t i c l e p l a c e d i n L i t a r a r y G a z e t t e e x p r e s s e d a t some l e n g t h S o v i e t "bewilderment" a t Nehru's statement t h a t he w a s unable t o judge t h e r i g h t o r wrong of t h e Cuba s i t u a t i o n ; t h i s a r t i c l e w a s broadcast b y Moscow s i x t i m e s t o S o u t h Asia i n E n g l i s h , and w a s u n d e r s t a n d a b l y p i c k e d u p p r o m p t l y by NCNA.

These examples of p r e s s u r e , however, have been more t h a n b a l a n c e d by t h e many S o v i e t s t a t e m e n t s and a c t i o n s f l a t t e r i n g and s u p p o r t i n g t h e Nehru government. In December 1960, soon a f t e r t h e Moscow C o n f e r e n c e , t h e S o v i e t -- r a n an a r t i N e w Times c l e a p p r a i s i n g and .on t h e whole a p p r o v i n g t h e new t ' h i r d Indian five-year plan. I n l a t e Januaxy, t h e CPI's N ew Age p r i n t ed a two-part a r t i c l e by t h e d e p u t y head d f t h e S x e t n s t i t u t e of O r i e n t a l S t u d i e s on I n d i a n s t a t e a a p a t i a l i s m : a q u a l i f i e d v e r d i c t was r e n d e r e d t h a t so far s t a t e c a p i t a l i s m i n I n d i a had been p r o g r e s s i v e and had f u l f i l l e d a n a t i o n a l

126

- U *
f u n c t i o n . I n l a t e J a n u a r y a S o v i e t b r o a d c a s t t o Asia describe d how I n d i a w a s "growing s t r o n g e r y e a r by y e a r , becoming more i n f l u e n t i a l and more wealthy", p r i m a r i l y b e c a u s e of h e r p r o g r e s s i v e f o r e i g n p o l i c y . On I n d i a n R e p u b l i c Day, 26 J a n u a r y , t h e S o v i e t l e a d e r s s e n t w a r m c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o t h e p e o p l e and government of I n d i a and t o Nehru p e r s o n a l l y , p r a i s i n g them for I n d i a ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e c a u s e s of p e a c e , disarmament, and t h e e n d i n g of c o l o n i a l i s m . The semi-annual CPSU s l o g a n s p u b l i s h e d i n A p r i l s i m i l a r l y f l a t t e r e d I n d i a , On 28 A p r i l , a S o v i e t b r o a d c a s t i n Bepgal ( p o s s i b l y meant f o r t h e West Bengal Communist P a r t y t o h e a r ) s t r e s s e d t h a t t h e S o v i e t Union and I n d i a have " k e p t f a i t h i n t h e f u n d a m e n t a l Bandung p r i n c i p l e s , " and q u o t e d Khrushchev on t h e u n a n i m i t y of views between t h e USSR and I n d i a o n n e a r l y a l l i n t e r n a t i o n a l problems p l a c e d before t h e UN. And i n June a n o t h e r S o v i e t b r o a d c a s t , i n Mandarin t o China, p o i n t e d l y emphasized t o P e i p i n g t h e c o o p e r a t i o n which I n d i a had f u r n i s h e d t h e bloc i n o p p o s i t i o n t o imp e r i a l i s t schemes f o r t h e r e c o g n i t i o n Cjf "two Chinas" by t h e United Nations. These s t a t e m e n t s have been accompanied by t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n of S o v i e t a s s i s t a n c e t o t h e I n d i a n economy. During a Kosygin v i s i t t o I n d i a i n F e b r u a r y a c r e d i t agreement between t h e t w o c o u n t r i e s , n e g o t i a t e d and announced t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r , w a s s i g n e d w i t h much f a n f a r e ; and a few d a y s l a t e r t h e USSR Ambassador i n N e w D e l h i , Benediktov, p u b l i c l y d e n i e d t o Ind i a n newsmen p u b l i s h e d r e p o r t s i n t h e I n d i a n p r e s s a b o u t d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e S o v i e t Union and t h e CPR o v e r S o v i e t a i d t o I n d i a . A f u r t h e r s i z a b l e c r e d i t a t l o w i n t e r e s t from Hungary w a s announced i n March. I n A p r i l t h e S o v i e t funbassador t o Mexico, w h i l e p i o u s l y denying i n a- p r i v a t e c o n v e r s a t i o n t h a t S o v i e t f o r e i g n commercial a c t i v i t y was o r d i n a r i l y subo r d i n a t e d t o p o l i t i c a l motives, admitted t h a t 'this w a s t r u e i n t h e case of I n d i a . F i n a l l y , w i t h regard t o t h e S i n o - I n d i a n border i s s u e , Moscow was e q u i v o c a l i n t h e f i r s t h a l f of 1961. On t h e one hand, t h e CPI w a s a p p a r e n t l y i n s t r u c t e d t o s a y as l i t t l e as p o s s i b l e . Guidance t o t h i s e f f e c t may c o n c e i v a b l y have been f u r n i s h e d I n d i a n p a r t y leaders i n Moscow i n December 1960; a t any r a t e , a t t h e e n d of F e b r u a r y 1961, a l e t t e r w a s r e c e i v e d from t h e CPSU, s i g n e d by S u s l o v , a s k i n g t h e CPI n o t t o make s t a t e m e n t s c a t e g o r i c a l l y condemning China, b u t on t h e o t h e r hand t o do n o t h i n g e i t h e r t o a n t a g o n i z e f u r t h e r I n d i a n p u b l i c

,
~

I
1

I
I

127

. .

'.

-*m

. . ..

,.

- .

..

o p i n i o n on t h i s i s s u e . T h i s g u i d a n c e w a s r e i t e r a t e d by S u s l o v d u r i n g h i s v i s i t t o I n d i a in p e r s o n a l b r i e f i n g s t o C I leaders P on 6 and 1 4 A p r i l , and t h e CPI went from r e i t e r a t i o n of t h e Meerut f o r m u l a ( i n t h e F e b r u a r y N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l r e s o l u t i o n ) t o s i l e n c e on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e ( i n t h e r e s o l u t i o n s o f ' t h e April p a r t y congress). A t t h e same t i m e , t h e S o v i e t - l i n k e d I n d i a n B organ - l i t z c o n t i n u e d t o m a n i f e s t a s t r o n g l y n a t i o n a l i s t i c , e x p l i c i t l y a n t i - C h i n e s e l i n e . The S o v i e t Union i t s e l f was non-committal, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n regard t o t h e q u e s t i o n of its maps of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n border, a t o p i c on which New D e l h i w a s r e p e a t e d l y p r o d d i n g Moscow d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g . In March, a n I n d i a n spokesman declared t h a t 1959 S o v i e t maps had shown Bhutan and Sikkim as i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e s , whereas much o l d e r maps had shown them as I n d i a n p r o t e c t o r a t e s ; he s a i d I n d i a had brought up t h i s matter r e p e a t e d l y , t h e l a s t t i m e in November 1960, b u t t h a t no p o s i t i v e r e p l y had y e t been r e c e i v e d from t h e USSR. According t o I n d i a n government announcements, by April t h e GDR, Hungary, and North Vietnam had a s s u r e d I n d i a t h a t t h e y would n o t p r i n t i n c o r r e c t maps a g a i n , b u t o t h e r Communist c o u n t r i e s - - a s Nehru p u t it on 2 1 April--"were r e l u c t a n t t o c o r r e c t them as t h e y f e l t t o do so would mean t a k i n g an a c t i v e p o l i t i c a l step.?'
I

. .

CPR P o l i c y : The C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e toward Nehru's government was t y p i f i e d by a pamphlet p u b l i s h e d i n P e i p i n g c o n t a i n i n g a c o l l e c t i o n of t h e s p e e c h e s Chou E n - l a i made d u r i n g h i s 1960 t o u r of S o u t h e a s t Asia. T r a n s l a t e d i n t o v a r i o u s languages, t h i s pamphlet c o n t a i n e d a map of t h e s o u t h Asian area showing I n d i a as a c o u n t r y under i m p e r i a l i s t domination, w h i l e Bhutan, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia and I n d o n e s i a were described as b e i n g " a l i g n e d w i t h t h e S o c i a l i s t c o u n t r i e s . " On 29 March it w a s disclosed i n t h e Indian Parliament that t h e Indian customs had been i n s t r u c t e d t o s e i z e a l l c o p i e s of t h i s pamphlet.
P e i p i n g ' s d e p i c t i o n of I n d i a a s t h e p r i n c i p a l i m p e r i a l i s t a g e n t i n Asia, s u r r o u n d e d by o t h e r s t a t e s f r i e n d l y t o t h e b l o c , is c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e p o l i c y t h e CPR h a s f o l l o w e d o v e r t h e p a s t two y e a r s of a t t e m p t i n g t o ' i s o l a t e I n d i a , its chief Asian r i v a l , t h r o u g h t h e settlement of e x i s t i n g c o n t r o v e r s i e s w i t h other soulth Asian s t a t e s on terms a c c e p t a b l e to t h e l a t t e r . (Examples have been t h e s e t t l e m e n t of t h e C h i n e s e - n a t i o n a l d i s p u t e w i t h I n d o n e s i a and t h e b o r d e r q u e s t i o n w i t h Burma: in b o t h c a s e s t h e terms agreed t o by P e i p i n g are d e f i n i t e l y known t o have been s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e desire t o i s o l a t e

I
I

,
I

128

In l a t e 1960 and e a r l y 1961, t h e CPR a l s o p u t o u t India.) f e e l e r s t o P a k i s t a n t o n e g o t i a t e t h e b o r d e r w i t h Kashmir and Ladakh (claimed by b o t h P a k i s t a n and I n d i a ) , w h i l e t h e s I n d i a n dependency Bhutan was e n t i c e d b o t h w i t h the p r o s p e c t of i n dependent b o r d e r n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h China and w i t h '; t h e p o s s ib i l i t y of economic a i d from P e i p i n g . These f e e l e r s - - w h i c h t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y f e l t o b l i g e d t o denounce p u b l i c l y in F e b r u a r y , b o t h i n P a r l i a m e n t and i n a N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l r e s o l u t i o n - - h a v e s i n c e l e d t o no c o n c r e t e r e s u l t , e x c e p t t o s t i m u l a t e t h e a s p i r a t i o n s of t h e Bhutan government f o r a greater degree of autonomy and f o r I n d i a n p e r m i s s i o n t o s e e k economic a i d d i r e c t l y from t h e United S t a t e s . These CPR g e s t u r e s a g a i n demonstrated, however, P e i p i n g ' s o v e r a l l t a t t i t u d e toward t h e N e h r u government and t h e c o n t i n u e d Chinese i n t e n t i o n t o s e e k t o weaken I n d i a ' s p o s i t i o n among its n e i g h b o r s . On 1 4 F e b r u a r y , Nehru r e v e a l e d t h a t d u r i n g t h e n e g o t i a t i o n s of t h e previ'ous w i n t e r t h e CPR had s t a t e d t h a t it r e s p e c t s o n l y I n d i a ' s "proper" r e l a t i o n s w i t h W-utan and Sikkim, whereas i n A p r i l 1960--Nehru claimed--Chou E n - l a i d u r i n g h i s v i s i t had s a i d t h a t China r e s p e c t s t h o s e r e l a t i o n s , w i t h o u t q u a l i f i c a t i o n . Throughout 1961, t h e r e were a number of r e p o r t s i n d i c a t i n g C h i n e s e i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n of e f f o r t s a t s u b v e r s i o n and propaganda w i t h i n Bhutan; one l e a f l e t d i s t r i b u t h d was s a i d t o have warned t h e Bhutanese a g a i n s t " c o l l u s i o n w i t h t h e government of I n d i a t o c o n v e r t Bhutan i n t o a l a n d of s l a v e s . "
\

T h i s C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e toward t h e I n d i a n government h a s been accompanied by a d e t e r m i n a t i o n n o t t o y i e l d i n t h e border d i s p u t e . I

I
I

C ,

g e n e r a l of t h e M i n i s t r y of E x t e r n a l A f f a i r e , s t o p p e d o f f i n P e i p i n g on h i s way home from Mongolia, t h e CPR w a s r e p o r t e d t o have made f r e s h terr i t o r i a l claims t o him o r a l l y ; s u c h new Chinese claims, howe v e r , have n o t s u b s e q u e n t l y been announced p u b l i c l y . The F o r e i g n M i n i s t r y o f f i c i a l s u b s e q u e n t l y complained p r i v a t e l y t h a t t h e C h i n e s e had treated h i m w i t h " i n t o l e r a b l e a r r o g a n c e ; " *
J u l y fi

. . i u e m,

. w cr e t a r y

, *

* I t had p r e v i o u s l y been r e p o r t e d t h a t I n d i a n d i p l o m a t s i n P e i p i n g had f r e q u e n t l y been h u m i l i a t e d and i n s u l t e d , t h a t memb e r s of t h e embassy s t a f f had even been p u b l i c l y a t t a c k e d and b e a t e n i n t h e s t r e e t s , and t h a t p r o t e s t n o t e s about t h i s had n o t been answered. - 129 --

i n r e s p o n s e t o h i s r e a s s e r t i o n of I n d i a n claims, L i u Shao-chi is s a i d t o have t o l d him t h a t it was r i d i c u l o u s of h i m t o have t r a v e l l e d s o f a r o n l y t o restate u n a c c e p t a b l e c o n d i t i o n s ; and Hao, whom he claimed t o know w e l l , r e f u s e d t o see h i m . A f t e r t h i s , b o t h P r i m e M i n i s t e r Nehru and a Chinese Embassy o f f i c i a l in New D e l h i w e r e r e p o r t e d t o have p r e d i c t e d , c o r r e c t l y , t h a t r e l a t i o n s between t h e two c o u n t r i e s would cont i n u e t o worsen.
I t h a s been a p r i n c i p a l Chinese endeavor--st ill u n s u c c e s s f u l - - t o o b t a i n from t h e S o v i e t Union and t h e CPSU b o t h a p o l i c y toward t h e I n d i a n government and a Marxist appraisal o f Nehru more consonant w i t h C h i n e s e n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s . I n e a r l y June, Chen Y i w a s r e l i a b l y r e p o r t e d t o have # g a i n i n d i c a t e d P e i p i n g ' s d i s c o n t e n t on t h i s s c o r e i n a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h a b l o c d i p l o m a t in Geneva. Chen repeated t o t h i s bloc o f f i c i a l t h e l o n g - . s t a n d i n g CCP l i n e on N e h r u : h i s i n c r e a s i n g c l o s e n e s s t o Washi n g t o n ; h i s role as "spokesman f o r t h e i n t e r e s t s of t h e I n d i a n upper b o u r g e o i s i e " ; h i s g o v e r n m e n t ' s i n a b i l i t y t o s o l v e t h e b a s i c problems of t h e I n d i a n p e o p l e and consequent fear " t h a t t h e example of t h e enormous accomplishments of N e w China w i l l seduce t h e impoverished masses of t h e s u b c o n t i n e n t ;'' a l l t h i s s e r v i n g t o e x p l a i n India:'&. u n f r i e n d l y a t t i t u d e toward China and its p e r i o d i c f o r m e n t a t i o n of f r o n t i e r i n c i d e n t s between t h e two c o u n t r i e s . Chen went on t o assert t h a t t h e I n d i a n government, by f o l l o w i n g a p o l i c y of "complete d u p l i c i t y , 'I had e v e n gone so f a r as t o a s p i r e t o a c e r t a i n amount of s u p p o r t from Moscow a g a i n s t P e i p i n g . , F o r t u n a t e l y , he s a i d , t h e S o v i e t press had "now" s t a r t e d t o undask t h i s maneuver, which showed t h a t t h e S o v i e t a u t h o r i t i e s had n o t l e t t h e m s e l v e s be duped. (Chen's t o n e i m p l i e d , however, t h a t Moscow up t o now had i n deed l e t i t s e l f be d u p e d . ) Chen w a s i n t i m a t i n g C h i n e s e hopes t h a t t h e various S o v i e t press a l l u s i o n s t o I n d i a n p o l i c y on t h e Congo and t h e one A p r i l L i t e r a r y G a z e t t e a r t i c l e c r i t i c i z i n g N e h r u o v e r Cuba h e r a l d e d a fundamental change i n t h e Sov i e t l i n e toward I n d i a . Such e x p e c t a t i o n s , however, were n e i t h e r r e a l i s t i c n o r ( p r o b a b l y ) s i n c e r e ; there have been no more s u c h d i r e c t S o v i e t comments, and t h e gap between C h i n e s e and S o v i e t p o l i c y toward I n d i a has a g a i n widened. P e i p i n g ' s propaganda h a s meanwhile c o n t i n u e d t o u t i l i z e e v e r y c o n c e i v a b l e s u b j e c t and p r e t e x t t o a t t e m p t t o d i s c r e d i t Nehru b o t h t o t h e b l o c and t h e Communist movement and t o t h e r a d i c a l b u t non-Communist f o r c e s of t h e " n a t i o n a l l i b e r a t i o n

130

'

.,'...

. ,

_ .

..

movement . ' I Working o c c a s i o n a l l y t h r o u g h d i r e c t commentaries, b u t p r i n c i p a l l y t h r o u g h f r e q u e n t , s e l e c t i v e , and h i g h l y s l a n t e d NCNA r e p o r t a g e of e v e n t s and s t a t e m e n t s , P e i p i n g h a s b u i l t up a p i c t u r e of Nehru as a f a i t h f u l s e r v a n t of U n i t e d S t a t e s p o l i c y on t h e Congo, on Laos, on Cuba, and o n B e r l i n whom Washington h a s e x p l i c i t l y promised t o reward f o r t h e s e s e r v i c e s w i t h large economic a s s i s t a n c e , and who h a s a c c o r d i n g l y o f f e r ed e v e r more f a v o r a b l e terms f o r U.S. " i m p e r i a l i s t domination'' of t h e I n d i a n economy. T h i s l o n g - s t a n d i n g and s t i l l c o n t i n u i n g C h i n e s e campaign, w h i l e a p p a r e n t l y d i r e c t e d o n l y i n c i d e n t a l l y t o t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y , h a s n e v e r t h e l e s s h e l p e d t o m a i n t a i n t h a t climate of o p i n i o n w i t h i n which t h e pro-CCP l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e C P I a p p r a i s e s t h e I n d i a n s c e n e .
C.

The I n d i a n P a r t y C o n g r e s s , A p r i l

March W C Meeting: Two weeks before t h e S i x t h C P I ConP gress opened, a f i v e - d a y m e e t i n g of t h e World P e a c e C o u n c i l i n New D e l h i p r o v i d e d t h e I n d i a n p a r t y w i t h a p r a c t i c a l demons t r a t i o n a t close q u a r t e r s of t h e c o n t i n u i n g d i f f e r e n c e s between S o v i e t and Chinese p o l i c y toward I n d i a . I n a d d i t i o n t o f u r n i s h i n g a new o c c a s i o n f o r subdued c o n f l i c t between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP, t h e e v e n t s of t h i s m e e t i n g were s i g n i f i c a n t i n t h a t t h e y p r o v i d e d what w a s a t least t h e o s t e n s i b l e r e a s o n f o r t h e C C P ' s f a i l u r e t o a t t e n d t h e I n d i a n p a r t y c o n g r e s s and c o n s e q u e n t abandonment of g u i d a n c e of t h e c o n g r e s s t o t h e CPSU. The Chinese p a r t y i n d i c a t e d i n advance t o t h e l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e C P I t h a t it i n t e n d e d t o use t h e W C m e e t i n g a s a v e h i P c l e f o r a t t a c k on t h e Nehru government. On 13 March, 1 d a y s 1 b e f o r e t h e m e e t i n g opened, a s e n i o r C h i n e s e embassy o f f i c i a l i n N e w L k l h i t o l d a C P I c o n f i d a n t t h a t t h e main m i s s i o n of P e i p i n g ' s d e l e g a t i o n w o u l d b e t o p u t p r e s s u r e on t h e other d e l e g a t i o n s t o denounce I n d i a ' s r o l e i n t h e Congo, Laos, and Algeria, where I n d i a n p o l i c y was s a i d t o be based "on the Ame r i c a n p a t t e r n . " T h i s Chinese o f f i c i a l emphasized t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y l e f t i s t t h a t Khrushchev's e x p l i c i t r e q u e s t t o Nehru on t h e Congo q u e s t i o n had been s p u r n e d , and n o t e d t h a t P r e s i d e n t Kennedy a t a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e had quoted Nehru's s t a t e m e n t s t o s u p p o r t h i s own views. A week l a t e r , a n o t h e r embassy o f f i c i a l acknowledged t h a t t h e C h i n e s e d e l e g a t i o n would have t o f i g h t a t t h e W C m e e t i n g f o r a d e n u n c i a t i o n of I n d i a , P

131

. . .

b u t s t a t e d t h a t he e x p e c t e d many African and Asian d e l e g a t i o n s t o a s s i s t P e i p i n g i n t h i s e f f o r t . The Chinese embassy officers suggested t h a t t h e i m p o r t a n c e P e i p i n g a t t a c h e d t o t h i s matter c o u l d be judged from t h e importance of t h e d e l e g a t i o n b e i n g s e n t ; t h i s d e l e g a t i o n t o be was headed by L i u Ning-i, p r e s i d e n t of t h e All-China F e d e r a t i o n of Trade Unions. (Liu had been one of t h e p r i n c i p a l f i g u r e s i n t h e Sino-Soviet clash a t t h e W T meeting i n P e i p i n g n i n e months b e f o r e , and had s u b s e q u e n t l y FU a t t e n d e d t h e Moscow Conference of November 1960. Most n o t a b l y , Liu had been a t t a c k e d by name in t h e September 1960 secret r e s o l u t i o n of t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y , a r e s o l u t i o n t o which P e i p i n g is known t o have t a k e n v i o l e n t e x c e p t i o n . )
While c o n c l u s i v e e v i d e n c e is n o t a v a i l a b l e , r e p o r t s from s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t s o u r c e s suggest t h a t t h e CPR d e l e g a t i o n a t t h e World Peace C o u n c i l m e e t i n g may indeed have made an a t t e m p t t o get some c r i t i c a l r e f e r e n c e t o t h e I n d i a n government's p o l i c y on c o l o n i a l i s m i n c l u d e d i n t h e WPC r e s o l u t i o n s , and t h a t t h i s attempt was defeated through S o v i e t i n f l u e n c e . The s c e n e of t h i s s t r u g g l e was a p p a r e n t l y t h e closed m e e t i n g s h e l d from 25 t h r o u g h 28 March in t h e WPC commission on " N a t i o n a l Independe n c e and A b o l i t i o n of Colonialism.'* [ a d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n on t h e Congo placed besore this commission1 w i t h Chinese s u p p o r t c o n t a i n e d a b i t t e r a t t a c k on I n d i a and on Nehru's " p a c i f i s t a t t i t u d e ; ' ' t h i s p r o v i s i o n w a s opposed by he I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o n , and w a s u l t i m a t e l y defeated. J

132

, . ,
4 .

,.. ..

..

_ .

. !

. .

i m p e r i a l i s t s ' game; w h i l e h e t h o u g h t Hammarskjoid-. s h o u l d be condemned, h e e x t o l l e d t h e r o l e of t h e n e u t r a l s in t h e maint e n a n c e of world p e a c e

.*

( t h e USSR On t h e o t h e r hand, made c o n s i d e r a b l e e f f o r i r e c t r y and t hrough t h e C P I , t o p r e v e n t t h e Sino-Indian b o r d e r q u e s t i o n f r o m becoming a n i s s u e a t t h e WPC m e e t i n g . T h i s was i n l i n e w i t h t h e p o s i t i o n t a k e n in t h e S u s l o v l e t t e r t o t h e C P I a t t h e end of F e b r u a r y , when t h e CPSU a p p a r e n t l y a s k e d t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o e v a d e t h i s t o p i c as much as it could, c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e need t o a v o i d complete a l i e n t a t i o n of t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c . D e s p i t e t h e s e Sov i e t i n t e n t i o n s , t h e i s s u e k e p t emerging a t i n t e r v a l s t h r o u g h o u t t h e W C s e s s i o n s , and had t o be s u p p r e s s e d e a c h t i m e w i t h P d i f f i c u l t y . On t h e o p e n i n g day, d u r i n g t h e d e l i b e r a t i o n s o v e r format ion of an agenda, one non-Communist I n d i a n delegate proposed t h a t a d i s c u s s i o n be h e l d on t h e q u e s t i o n of whether some I n d i a n t e r r i t o r y was b e i n g o c c u p i e d by t h e CPR, as a r e s u l t of which t h e p e a c e of Asia gas b e i n g endangered. T h i s s u g g e s t i o n was s u p p o r t e d by a member of t h e C P I extreme r i g h t ist f a c t i o n ; and CPI l e f t i s t s s u b s e q u e n t l y c h a r g e d , p r o b a b l y f a l s e l y , t h a t t h e l a t t e r had been encouraged by Romesh Chandra, t h e CPI f u n c t i o n a r y and Ghosh a g e n t who was s t e e r i n g t h e WPC s e s s i o n s . The p r o p o s a l was i n any case rejected by S u n d e r l a l , Chairman of t h e A l l - I n d i a n Peace C o u n c i l , who made t h e mistake of p u b l i c l y c l a i m i n g t h a t Prime M i n i s t e r Nehru had req u e s t e d t h a t t h e q u e s t i o n n o t be d i s c u s s e d : a claim which Nehru l a t e r p u b l i c l y r e p u d i a t e d .

I
I

*While the USSR c e r t a i n l y d i d n o t want a d i r e c t a t t a c k on I n d i a i n c l u d e d i n any WPC r e s o l u t i o n , t h i s S o v i e t w i l l i n g n e s s t o u n d e r t a k e a p o l e m i c a l d e f e n s e of I n d i a a t a f r o n t group meeti n g may have been s p e c i a l l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e locale of t h e WPC s e s s i o n . A t a s u b s e q u e n t meeting of t h e Afro-Asian Peop l e ' s S o l i d a r i t y O r g a n i z a t i o n i n I n d o n e s i a a f e w weeks l a t e r - where s e v e r a l much s t r o n g e r Sino-Soviet c l a s h e s on a number of issues were r e p o r t e d - i t was r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e Chinese delegate launched a s i m i l a r s t r o n g a t t a c k a g a i n s t I n d i a f o r h a v i n g s e n t t r o o p s t o t h e Congo, w i t h o u t c o n t r a d i c t i o n from t h e Soviet representative.

133

There were s e v e r a l s u b s e q u e n t r e p o r t s t o t h e e f f e c t t h a t d u r i n g one (or p o s s i b l y more) a t t h e closed m e e t i n g s of WPC commissions some Western delegates a t t e m p t e d t o raise t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r i s s u e f o r d i s c u s s i o n , t h a t t h e CPR d e l e g a t i o n t h e r e u p o n t h r e a t e n e d t o walk o u t of t h e m e e t i n g , and t h a t t h e p r o p o s a l vas defeated w i t h S o v i e t a s s i s t a n c e . A t l e a s t one CPR walkout a c u t a l l y d i d take p l a c e o v e r t h i s iss u e d u r i n g t h e WPC p r o c e e d i n g s , i n p u b l i c . On t h e e v e n i n g of 24 March t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n a t t e n d e d ceremonies commemorating t h e c e n t e n i a l a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e b i r t h o f t h e Ind i a n p o e t Tagore, in t h e course of which I n d i a n C u l t u r a l M i n i s t e r K a b i r s a i d t h a t Tagore would not have remained s i l e n t r e g a r d i n g C h i n a s s encroachments on I n d i a n s o i l . L i u Ning-i followed Kabir t o t h e p l a t f o r m , c r i t i c i z e d him s e v e r e l y f o r being unfriendly t o a peace-loving neighbor, repeated Peiping's v e r s i o n of t h e T i b e t a n and border e v e n t s , i m p l i e d t h a t t h e I n d i a n government d i d n o t have t h e s u p p o r t o f most I n d i a n s on t h e s e matters, and c o n c l u d e d w i t h t h e c h a r g e t h a t I n d i a w a s a t t e m p t i n g " t o r e a p t h e seeds of c o n f u s i o n sowed by B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l i s m . " L i u t h e n l e d t h e C h i n e s e d e l e g a t e s o u t of t h e meeting. More i m p o r t a n t consequences flowed from t h i s e v e n t t h a n from a n y t h i n g else t h a t happened a t t h e WPC meeting. There w a s an immediate u p r o a r among t h e I n d i a n p u b l i c and p r e s s ; Nehru i n P a r l i a m e n t a few d a y s l a t e r termed t h e walkout "off e n s i v e " ; and t h e r i g h t wing of t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y r. made hast,e p u b l i c l y t o disown L i u : on 3 April M s Renu C h a k r a v a r t y d e c l a r e d i n P a r l i a m e n t t h a t "we do n o t agree a t a l l " w i t h " c e r t a i n remarks made by t h e C h i n e s e . . W do n o t e l i k e what t h e Chinese d i d or said." S u b s e q u e n t l y , t h e I n d i a n government r e f u s e d t o e x t e n d t h e v i s a s of t h o s e members o f t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g L i u , who had planned t o remain i n I n d i a a f t e r t h e WPC m e e t i n g t o a t t e n d t h e I n d i a n Comm u n i s t p a r t y c o n g r e s s o p e n i n g t e n d a y s l a t e r . The M i n i s t r y of External A f f a i r s told Sunderlal t h a t t h e continued presence i n t h e c o u n t r y of t h e C h i n e s e d e l e g a t i o n would n o t be welcome.

1 I I

I
I

I
I

\
~

P e i p i n g d i d not attempt t o send another d e l e g a t i o n t o a t t e n d t h e CPI Congress, and t h e I n d i a n government d i d n o t p r e v e n t Moscow from s e n d i n g a d e l e g a t i o n l e d by S u s l o v t o t h e Congress. The result was t h a t t h e CPSU had t h e f i e l d t o its e l f i n p r o v i d i n g g u i d a n c e t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y a t an e v e n t of c e n t r a l importance. It seems l i k e l y t h a t t h e I n d i a n government

134

..

'

. I

... .

..

.,

. .

_ .

. .

had t h i s i n mind from t h e f i r s t , t h a t New D e l h i n e v e r had any

i n t e n t i o n of a l l o w i n g t h e CCP t o be p r e s e n t t o e n c o u r a g e t h e CPI l e f t i s t s and l o b b y for a t h o r o u g h l y m i l i t a n t l i n e . , and t h a t t h e government wished t h e I n d i a n Communist' p a r t y t o be o r i e n t e d a l o n g t h e moderate l i n e N e w D e l h i associated w i t h t h e S o v i e t Union.* I t is t h e r e f o r e l i k e l y t h a t L l u N i n g - i t s v i s a w o u l d n o t have been e x t e n d e d i n any case; it is even p o s s i b l e t h a t M i n i s t e r Kabir ' s p r o v o c a t o r y remarks were p l a n n e d d e l i b e r a t e l y t o e n t r a p L i u . i n t o making p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t s which could .be used t o j u s t i f y t h i s r e f u s a l and t o make it p o l i t i c a l l y unf e a s i b l e f o r t h e CPI t o protest.** N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e a c t i o n s of t h e CCP would seem p e c u l i a r l y i n e p t if it were assumed t h a t a p r i m a r y object of P e i p i n g was t o a t t e m p t t o secure predominance w i t h i n t h e CPI a t t h i s t i m e . . I f t h i s had been t h e f i r s t c o n s i d e r a t i o n , it would have been a p p r o p r i a t e ( d e s p i t e t h e t h r e a t t o n a t i o n a l pr!.de) t o m a k e a n o t h e r a t t e m p t t o g e t a CCP d e l e g a t i o n a d m i t t e d t o I n d i a t o a t t e n d t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s . Moreover, i f L i u N i n g - i t s a t t e n dance a t t h e c o n g r e s s on I n d i a n s o i l had been c o n s i d e r e d v i t a l , it would seem e x t r a o r d i n a r y t o have f i r s t s e n t him t o t h e World Peace C o u n c i l m e e t i n g w i t h i n s t r u c t i o n s t o a t t e m p t

* S i m i l a r l y , New D e l h i has on o c c a s i o n s o u g h t t o p r e v e n t CPI extremists from making c o n t a c t w i t h CPSU leaders: t h u s i n F e b r u a r y 1959 it w a s r e p o r t e d t h a t Ranadive, o r i g i n a l l y named t o t h e CPI d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e 2 1 s t CPSU Congress, had been ref u s e d a p a s s p o r t , w h i l e more moderate CPI leaders had been g i v e n p a s s p o r t s . I n a n o t h e r s t e p l i k e l y t o have been i n t e n d e d a t least i n p a r t t o weaken t h e l e f t f a c t i o n of t h e C P I , t h e I n d i a n government on 27 December 1961 w a s t o withdraw t h e f o r e i g n exchange t r a d i n g l i c e n s e of t h e Bank of China; t h i s bank had r e p o r t e d l y been used as a b a s e f o r CCP f i n a n c i n g o f its a d h e r e n t s w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n Communist p a r t y . **Not o n l y d i d t h e CPI n o t p r o t e s t t h e e x c l u s i o n of t h e Chin e s e , b u t it seemed t o go o u t of i t s way t o a v o i d m e n t i o n i n g t h e f a c t . Thus on 23 A p r i l t h e a r t i c l e on t h e o p e n i n g of t h e p a r t y Congress c a r r i e d i n New Age n o t e d t h a t " t h e f r a t e r n a l d e l e g a t e s from t h e p a r t i e s 3 F r a n c e , German Democratic Republ i c and I s r a e l w e r e u n f o r t u n a t e l y r e f u s e d v i s a s and c o u l d n o t a t t e n d ; " t h e r e w a s no a l l u s i o n t o L i u Ning-i o r t h e C h i n e s e party. 135 -

I
I

. .. .

t o secure a p u b l i c condemnation of I n d i a n government p o l i c y . F i n a l l y , i f P e i p i n g had had b o t h t h e i n t e n t i o n and t h e s e r i o u s hope of s e c u r i n g a major change i n t h e b a l a n c e of f o r c e s w i t h in t h e CPI, it would probably have a p p o i n t e d a d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e c o n g r e s s headed by a man e q u a l i n s t a t u r e t o S u s l o v (number three or four i n t h e S o v i e t h i e r a r c h y ) , rather t h a n by L i u Ning-i--who, w h i l e i m p o r t a n t , is a second-echelon f i g u r e n o t b e l o n g i n g t o t h e CCP P o l i t b u r o . * (In J u n e , t h e CCP d i d a p p o i n t s u c h a man--Teng Hsiao-ping, CCP s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l - to lead a d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e J a p a n e s e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , t o c o u n t e r t h e CPSU a s s i g n m e n t of Hukhitdinov, a lower-ranking P r e s i d i u m member; t h e Japanese government, however, refused t o admit e i t h e r d e l e g a t i o n .) These c o n s i d e r a t i o n s suggest t h a t P e i p i n g had decided i n March t h a t d e s p i t e t h e u n d e n i a b l e i n c r e a s e i n CPI l e f t - f a c t i o n s t r e n g t h and t h e o p t i m i s t i c claims of t h e i r l e a d e r s , t h e y were u n l i k e l y t o score a n o r g a n i z a t i o n a l v i c t o r y a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , and t h a t it w o u l d therefore be unwise t o r i s k s e n d i n g a top CCP leader t o I n d i a t o d i s p u t e t h e aut h o r i t y .of S u s l o v . It is a l s o p o s s i b l e t h a t P e i p i n g a t t h i s p o i n t i n 1961 w a s s t i l l r e l u c t a n t t o abandon t h e c o n s e r v a t i v e p o l i c y in t h e movement which it had a p p a r e n t l y f o l l o w e d s i n c e t h e 1960 Moscow conference--of r e f r a i n i n g from f u r t h e r o v e r t a t t e m p t s t o displace CPSU i n f l u e n c e i n areas of c o n t i n u i n g CPSU hegemony.
Ghosh P r a v d a Article: The S i x t h CPI Congress was s c h e d u l e d t o b e g i n on T Ap r i l . On 5 A p r i l , t h e same day t h a t S u s l o v and h i s e n t o u r a g e a r r i v e d in New D e l h i , P r a v d a p u b l i s h e d a I n view of l e n g t h y a r t i c l e by Ghosh keyed t o t h e c q n g r e s s . t h e many c o n f l i c t i n g and d i s t o r t e d r e p o r t s which l a t e r became c u r r e n t c o n c e r n i n g t h e c o n g r e s s and S u s l o v ' s r o l e i n i t , t h i s P r a v d a a r t i c l e - - w h i c h Moscow broadcast w i d e l y t o S o u t h Asia--great importance i n documenting t h e l i n e which Ghosh and the CPSU b o t h e n d o r s e d for t h e CPI b e f o r e t h e c o n g r e s s b a t t l e began, and therefore i n d i s t i n g u i s h i n g w h i c h of t h e a c t i o n s S u s l o v urged upon Ghosh d u r i n g t h e c o n g r e s s were r e f l e c t i o n s of CPSU p o l i c y and which were t a c t i c a l moves t o p r e s e r v e Ghosh's p o s i t i o n and p r e v e n t a s p l i t i n t h e p a r t y .

. .

. .
. .

..

*MoreoveP, ,the I n d i a n government m i g h t n o t have f e l t free t o refuse t o &end t h e v i s a of a t o p Chinese leader.

- 136
S - T n

..

.
:
.

Ghosh's a r t i c l e repeats and expands t h e t r i b u t e s p a i d i n h i s d r a f t p o l i t i c a l resolutcLon t o N e h r u ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o

peace and disarmament and h i s r e s i s t a n c e t o i m p e r i a l i s t p r e s s u r e s . A t t h e same t i m e , Ghosh adds--in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e t r e n d of S o v i e t p o l i c y s i n c e h i s F e b r u a r y d r a f t w a s adopted-a l e n g t h y , d e t a i l e d c r i t i c i s m of t h e " v a c i l l a t i o n s " of t h e I n d i a n government, p a r t i c u l a r l y in regard t o t h e Congo, which w a s n o t found i n h i s d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n . The c h a n g e s in t h e r e s o l u t i o n e v e n t u a l l y made on t h i s t o p i c were therefore foreo r d a i n e d b e f o r e t h e congress, and owed n o t h i n g t o t h e demands of t h e CPI l e f t i s t s . Ghosh's c o n c l u s i o n w a s t h a t t h e C P I must o r g a n i z e t h e m a s s e s t o p u t p r e s s u r e on t h e I n d i a n government t o overcome these "weaknesses" and m a k e New D e l h i ' s p o l i c y more " c o n s i s t e n t .
On t h e i n t e r n a l economic s i t u a t i o n , Ghosh's a r t i c l e placed o n l y s l i g h t l y more emphasis on t h e n e g a t i v e s i d e of I n d i a n government p o l i c y t h a n had h i s d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n . H i s a p p r a i s a l was s t i l l f a f r l y b a l a n c e d : he p a i d t r i b u t e t o t h e f i r s t t w o f i v e - y e a r p l a n s f o r b r o a d e n i n g and s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e i n d u s t r i a l b a s i s of t h e I n d i a n economy, n o t e d t h a t t h e t h i r d p l a n , "as b e f o r e , places t h e stress on t h e development of heavy i n d u s t r y , m a i n l y i n t h e s t a t e s e c t o r , ' $ and concluded t h a t I n d i a n p o l i t i cal independence now rested on a f i r m e r economic base t h a n before. Ghosh also stated t h a t "it would be, of c o u r s e , i n c o r rect" t o t h i n k t h a t t h e I n d i a n government has s u b m i t t e d t o t h e blackmail attempted by t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s t o force a r e d u c t i o n of t h e p l a n and a weakening of t h e s t a t e s e c t o r i n exchange f o r t h e g r a n t i n g of l o a n s t o I n d i a . N e v e r t h e l e s s , Ghosh comp l a i n e d of i n s t a n c e s of c o n c e s s i o n s made t o f o r e i g n c a p i t a l , of t h e growing t i e s between I n d i a n and f o r e i g p b o u r g e o i s i e , of t h e government's f a i l u r e s t o e n a c t s i g n i f i c a n t l a n d reform, and of t h e d i s s o l u t i o n of t h e Kerala government. He spoke of an " i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n of t h e c o n t r a d i c t i o n between t h e government of I n d i a and t h e p e o p l e . " B u t on t h e whole, Ghosh's Pravda appraisal o f t h e economy d i d n o t l e a n as h e a v i l y on t h e n e g a t i v e s i d e as he was t o do i n h i s speech t o t h e c o n g r e s s o r i n t h e f i n a l v e r s i o n of t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n , suggesti n g t h a t here changes may have been f o r c e d by t h e need t o offs e t CPI l e f t i s t pressure.

.'

On t h e o t h e r hand, Ghosh added an e l e m e n t which he was t o r e p e a t i n h i s Congress s p e e c h , which t h e l e f t i s t s were t o object t o s t r o n g l y , and which had n o t b e e n ' f o u n d i n h i s d r a f t

137

. .
.

, .

: '

. ..

. .

. .

.*

'

an e x p l i c i t statement t h a t t h e continuap o l i t i c a l resolution: t i o n o f t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e had h u r t t h e CPI more t h a n a n y t h i n g else and had been t h e chief f a c t o r p u s h i n g t h e I n d i a n government i n t h e d i r e c t i o n desired by i m p e r i a l i s t s and reactionaries
'

!
. _

F i n a l l y , Ghosh's P r a v d a a r t i c l e c a l l e d f o r a "broad nat i o n a l a s s o c i a t i o n of - t r i o t i c and democfatic forces"-based on t h e a l l i a n c e between t h e workers and peasants, t h e iiucleus of t h e n a t i o n a l - d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t - - t o d e f e n d t h e s t a t e sector, a c h i e v e l a n d reform, c o n t r o l t h e monopolies, p r e v e n t i m p e r i a l i s t loans, c r d t i c i z e harmful t e n d e n c i e s i n government, and so g e n e r a l l y g a i n i n f l u e n c e o v e r government policies. Ghosh called v a g u e l y f o r t h e overcoming c f d i f f e r e n c e s among S d e m o c r a t i c forces r e s u l t i n g from t h e i r b e l o n g i n g t o d i f f e r e n t p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s , b u t d i d n o t c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e which s o c i a l classes, p a r t i e s , or e l e m e n t s of p a r t i e s might belong t o t h e n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t , and .on what b a s i s . To,surn up: Ghosh and t h e CPSU had a p p a r e n t l y agreed before t h e CPI Congress on a b a l a n c e d l i n e i n c l u d i n g b o t h p r a i s e of Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y and c r i t i c i s m of h i s v a c i l l a t i o n s ; c r e d i t f o r a s p e c t s of t h e government's d o m e s t i c p o l i c y and a c e r t a i n number of d e t a i l e d a t t a c k s on its f a u l t s ; and emphasis on t h e h a r m b e i n g done t o t h e Communist c a u s e i n I n d i a by t h e Sino-Indian d i s p u t e . They were a l s o a g r e e d on t h e need f o r a broad n a t i o n a l - d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t , but had n o t y e t s p e c i f i e d t h e makeup o f t h a t f r o n t beyond 'the g e n e r a l i z e d c a l l f o r t h e i n c l u s i o n of " a l l democratic forces. " Chronology of t h e Congress: On 6 A p r i l , S u s l o v a r r i v e d a t t h e s i t e of t h e CPI Congress, t h e town of Vijavavada. i n Andhra P r a d e s h p r o v i n c e o f - s o u t h e r n I n d i a . E i t L e E t h a t ' n i g h t or on t h e morning of t h e n e x t day, Suslov is r e p o r t e d t o have b r i e f e d a f e w t o p r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of a l l t h e CPI f a c t i o n s - Ghosh, Ranadive, Bhupesh G u p t a , and Dange--and t o have r e i t erated t h e S o v i e t r e q u e s t t h a t t h e r e be no CPI d i s c u s s i o n of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n border d i s p u t e . S u s l o v is s a i d t o have l a t e r i n d b Q b c ~ LU ~ y moa erates t h a t l t h i s w a s a l l t h e more n e c e s s a r y because t h e CCP was n o t repres e n t e d a t t h e c o n g r e s s ; i f any r e s o l u t i o n on t k s u b j e c t were p a s s e d , t h e Chinese would assume t h a t he had s p o n s o r e d it a s a new CPSU a t t a c k on them. In f a c t , no r e s o l u t i o n was t o be p a s s e d and t h e r e was t o be no c o n g r e s s d i s c u s s i o n of t h e i s s u e p e r m i t t e d , a l t h o u g h four r e s o l u t i o n s p r e p a r e d from d i f f e r e n t v i e w p o i n t s were p r e s e n t e d .
'

138

. . .

. .

..

I
, '

. .

'.,

. ..

t h e agenda f o r t h e c o n g r e s s , and t h e r e was an immepiate f a c -

On 7 A p r i l , t h e o u t g o i n g N a t i o n a l Council m e t t o d e c i d e

t i o n a l b a t t l e o v e r whether t h e c o n g r e s s was t o t a k e up first t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n o r t h e long-term p a r t y program. The Ghosh-Dange f o r c e s , with t h e i r s u p e r i o r N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l res o u r c e s , won t h i s s k i r m i s h , and t h e r i g h t t o c o n s i d e r t h e p a r t y program f i r s t ; it w a s s u p p o s e d l y f e l t t h a t there was greater c o n g r e s s s u p p o r t f o r t h e Dange d r a f t o f t h e program t h a n f o r Ghosh's p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n , and t h a t an i n i t i a l v i c t o r y might a f f e c t l a t e r v o t i n g . E a r l y on t h e morning of 8 A p r i l , t h e c o n g r e s s began d i s c u s s i o n of t h e two d r a f t s of t h e program. A serioG a t t e m p t was made t o k e e p a l l t h e c o n g r e s s debates secret. Dange and o t h e r s , speaking f o r t h e r i g h t i s t draft, r e p o r t e d l y s e t f o r t h t h e g o a l of ' ' n a t i o n a l democracy" f o r I n d i a , u r g i n g t h a t "prog r e s s i v e " e l e m e n t s of t h e P r a j a S o c i a l i s t p a r t y and t h e Cong r e s s p a r t y - - e s p e c i a l l y t h e mass f o l l o w i n g o f t h e I a t t e r - - b e drawn i n t o t h e broad N a t i o n a l Democratic F r o n t alliance by t h e CPI, a n d p r o p o s i n g t h a t t h e a l l i a n c e s e e k above a l l t o i s o l a t e t h e r e a c t i o n a r y elements i n t h e Congress p a r t y and i n t h e r i g h t - w i n g p a r t i e s . Ranadive and Bhupesh Gupta, who p r e s e n t e d t h e l e f t i s t view, s u p p o r t e d " p e o p l e ' s democracy"--or a l i m i t e d a l l i a n c e l e d by t h e Communists--as t h e g o a l f o r t h e C P I ' s new program. They t e n d e d t o d i s c o u r a g e any d e a l i n g s w i t h t h e Cong r e s s p a r t y ; t h e y wished t o p l a c e l i t t l e t r u s t i n t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e ; and t h e y s o u g h t t o u n i t e p r o g r e s s i v e f o r c e s c l e a r l y under t h e l e a d e r s h i p of t h e working class, d i r e c t i n g t h e mobil i z a t i o n of t h e masses a g a i n s t t h e Congress p a r t y ! The debate on t h e program went on f o r 11 h o u r s , t h r o u g h t h e morning and a f t e r n o o n c o n g r e s s s e s s i o n s on 8 - A p r i l and t h e morning s e s s i o n of 9 A p r i l . A t some p o i n t Namboodiripad is s a i d t o have o f f e r e d a "golden mean" d r a f t program t h e det a i l s o f which are unknown, b u t which a p p a r e n t l y a t t e m p t e d t o r e c o n c i l e t h e c o n f l i c t s between t h e o t h e r two d r a f t s . On t h e morning of 9 A p r i l , Ghosh g a v e a s p e e c h on t h e program i n whic,h he made a f i n a l e f f o r t t o swing t h e c o n g r e s s toward t h e Dange d r a f t , d e f e n d i n g " N a t i o n a l Democracy" as a correct s l o g a n . It is n o t c l e a r whether any v o t e w a s e v e r t a k e n ; t h e u p s h o t , however, was t h a t t h e c o n g r e s s c o u l d n o t a g r e e . A p a r t y spokesman acknowledged t h i s t o newsmen a f t e r t h e morning s e s s i o n on t h e 9 t h , and a t t e m p t e d t o gloss o v e r t h e d i f f e r e n c e s as conc e r n i n g o n l y q u e s t i o n s of emphasis. The spokesman asserted

139

. .

. ,

. :_

...

. . .
* '

t h a t a l t h o u g h both of t h e p r i n c i p a l d r a f t s had e n v i s a g e d t h e f o r m a t i o n of a u n i t e d democratic f r o n t a t a p a r t i c u l a r stage, opinion d i f f e r e d as to when t h e s l o g a n of n a t i o n a l democracy s h o u l d be t a k e n up. The c o n g r e s s had therefore d e c i d e d t h a t t h e new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l t o be chosen a t t h e end of t h e congress s e s s i o n s would work on a new d r a f t program t o be pres e n t e d t o t h e n e x t p a r t y c o n g r e s s (which some r e p o r t s i n d i c a t e d might be c a l l e d a f t e r t h e I n d i a n e l e c t i o n s i n 1 9 6 2 ) . Meanw h i l e , t h e spokesman announced, t h e CPI would c o n t i n u e t o be g u i d e d by t h e Amritsar l i n e .

Suslov w a s i n s t r u m e n t a l i n agree t o s h e l v e t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e p a r t y program. S u s l o v is s a i d t o have argued t h a t it was s e n s e l e s s for t h e C P I t o f u r t h e r s p l i t i t s e l f o v e r t h i s i s s u e when t h e o l d p a r t y program c o u l d be made t o s e r v e immediate n e e d s . T h i s was one of t h e first c o n f i r m a t i o n s of t h e s u p p o s i t i o n t h a t a p r i m a r y p u r p o s e of t h e CPSU a t t h e CPI Congress was t o k e e p t h e CPI from f o r m a l l y s p l i t t i n g a p a r t , and t h a t as i n 1960, t h e CPSU w a s p r e p a r e d t o m a k e some c o n c e s s i o n s t o t h i s end.

osn

to

In t h e meantime, S u s l o v had addressed t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s on t h e a f t e r n o o n of 8 A p r i l . He p a i d emphatic t r i b u t e t o t h e importance of I n d i a t o t h e outcome of t h e world s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t imperialism and t o t h e v i t a l s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h e I n d i a n p o l i c y of n e u t r a l i t y . He p o i n t e d l y warned t h e CPI of t h e need for d i s c i p l i n e and u n i t y i n its r a n k s . He spoke of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y a t one p o i n t as s t r u g g l i n g " a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and f e u d a l o p p r e s s i o n , f o r n a t i o n a l independence, and f o r democracv and s o c i a l progress, I f and a t a n o t h e r p o i n t as working " w i t h - o t h e r n a t i o n a l p a t r i o t i c forces t o l i q u i d a t e economic backwardness and t o e s t a b l i s h a s t a b l e and independent economy, t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e p o l i t i c a l independence and s o v e r e i g n t y of t h e i r c o u n t r y , and t o promote s o c i a l p r o g r e s s . " S u s l o v a l s o referred t o t h e " s p e c i f i c complicated c o n d i t i o n s " i n which t h e CPI had t o work; a l l u d e d t o t h e CPI's t a s k as o n e o f "determined s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t i m p e r i a l i s m and t h e remnants of f e u d a l i s m " ( n o t , it w i l l be n o t e d , a g a i n s t t h e r u l i n g b o u r g e o i s i e ) ; and c a l l e d on t h e Ind i a n p a r t y ''to u n i t e i n t o a s i n g l e n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t a l l t h e p a t r i o t i c forces i n t e r e s t e d i n I n d i a ' s advancement along

...

-.

140

,...

..

t h e p a t h of economic and s o c i a l p r o g r e s s . " * In s h o r t , Suslov e n d o r s e d a n a t i o n a l democratic program f o r t h e CPI--and a v e r y minimal one a t that--and b r e a t h e d n o t a word about s o c i a l i s m b e i n g a g o a l toward which t h e CPI s h o u l d s t r i v e . The same w a s t r u e of t h e CPSU message t o t h e I n d i a n p a r t y c o n g r e s s read hy S u s l o v ; i n c o n t r a s t , t h e CCP message r e a d o u t a t t h e saiiie session,, while g e n e r a l l y r e s t r a i n e d i n tone, d i d put i n a wqrd for socialism in India. As i n t h e case of Ghosh's P r a v d a a r t i c l e , t h e c o n c l u s i o n seems i n e s c a p a b l e t h a t t h e -while n o t committing i t s e l f on t h e s u b j e c t of a l l i a n c e s w i t h t h e Congress p a r t y o r Congress p a r t y u n i t s , was far more i n sympathy w i t h t h e g e n e r a l t h r u s t of t h e Ghosh-Dange l i n e t h a n w i t h t h a t of t h e l e f t i s t s . N e v e r t h e l e s s , it h a s been w i d e l y reported--and t h e r e is good r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e - - t t i a t ' ; it w a s S u s l o v who c o u n s e l e d Ghosh t o i n s e r t i n h i s G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y ' s R e p o r t t o t h e cong r e s s ( d e l i v e r e d on t h e a f t e r n o o n of 9 A p r i l ) material t e n d ing c o n s i d e r a b l y more t o t h e l e f t on c e r t a i n i s s u e s t h a n d i d t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l ' s P o l i t i c a l R e s o l u t i o n which Ghosh had ] Suslov p r e p a r e d back i n February. may have g i v e n s u c h a d v i c e a meeting of t o p C P I l e a d e r s on t h e e v e n i n g of 8 A p r i l , when he is s a i d t o have c r i t i c i z e d b o t h t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l d r a f t and R a n a d i v e ' s a l t e r n a t i v e , w h i l e s u p p o r t i n g Namboodiripad's middle-of-the-road p r o p o s a l f o r a Pol it i c a l R e s o l u t i o n . T h i s CPSU a c t i o n w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y subjected t o wide m i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n by b o t h e x t r e m e l e f t and r i g h t f a c t i o n s , b e i n g v a r i o u s l y termed an a t t e m p t t o p l a c a t e t h e l e f t i s t leaders and a b e t r a y a l of t h e r i g h t i s t s . I n f a c t , S u s l o v ' s a d v i c e t o Ghosh a p p e a r s t o have been c o n d i t i o n e d by f o u r f a c t o r s . The f i r s t and most i m p o r t a n t of these was t h e need t o p r e s e r v e t h e l o y a l CPSU a d h e r e n t Ghosh i n a u t h o r i t y as G e n e r a l S e e r e t a r y a t a l l c o s t s , i n t h e face of t r e n d s w i t h i n t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s which t h r e a t e n e d s e r i o u s l y t o d i s p l a c e him.

*The p r o v i s i o n s summarized i n t h i s s e n t e n c e were o m i t t e d from t h e TASS t e x t of S u s l o v ' s s p e e c h , p e r h a p s because t h e y r e v e a l e d t o o e x p l i c i t l y t h a t t h e CPSU was a t t e m p t i n g t o s e t a l i n e f o r t h e CPI. They appeared i n t h e N e w Age v e r s i o n of t h e s p e e c h .

--

141

Second was t h e need t o n e u t r a l i z e enough of t h e followi n g of t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s a t t h e congress--while r e b u f f i n g t h o s e leaders t h e m s e l v e s - - t o head o f f any i n c l i n a t i o n by t h e l e f t i s t s t o t r y t o take t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s t h e y c o n t r o l l e d o u t of t h e C P I . (The CPSU had f o r some time f e a r e d as a s e r i o u s p o s s i b i l i t y s u c h an o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s p l i t i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , and, as h a s been s e e n , went t o c o n s i d e r a b l e l e n g t h s i n e a r l y and mid-1960 t o P r e v e n t it.

Moscow's p o i n t of view, an open s c h i s m i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y - u n l i k e t h e manv mass e x p l u s i o n s of d i s s e n t e r s which have o c c u r r e d in EuropeLn p a r t i e s - - c o u l d p r o v e d i s a s t r o u s t o S o v i e t hegemony, b e c a u s e of P e i p i n g ' s a v a i l a b i l i t y t o i n s p i r e and g u i d e a r i v a l Indian Communist p a r t y . )

I From

The S o v i e t s were t h e r e f o r e p r e p a r e d t o u n d e r w r i t e a n a t tempt by Ghosh t o s t e a l t h e l e f t i s t leaders' t h u n d e r by warni n g a g a i n s t e x p e c t a t i o n s of a n a u t o m a t i c and smooth parliament a r y t r a n s i t i o n t o power, p r o v i d e d t h a t t h e e s s e n t i a l s of t h e c u r r e n t S o v i e t l i n e - - t h e v e r y broad a l l i a n c e s e e k i n g l i m i t e d d e m o c r a t i c g o a l s t h r o u g h p e a c e f u l means--were m a i n t a i n e d . T h i s i m p l i e d a r e t r e a t from t h e exposed p o s i t i o n t a k e n by t h e 1958 Amritsar c o n g r e s s t o t h e more r e s e r v e d b u t s t i l l f a i r l y o p t i m i s t i c view of p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n 6 3 s o c i a l i s m t a k e n by t h e P a l g h a t Congress of 1956. T h i s method of u n d e r c u t t i n g t h e arguments o f t h e CPI l e f t i s t f a c t i o n w a s somewhat analogous t o t h e way i n which t h e CPSU i n 1960 had s o u g h t t o u n d e r c u t t h e C h i n e s e a p p e a l t o t h e world Communist movement by adopti n g a more m i l i t a n t l i n e on c o l o n i a l r e v o l u t i o n s ; b u t it w i l l be s e e n t h a t Ghosh's r e t r e a t w a s n o t i n t e n d e d t o s u p p o r t t h e CPI l e f t wing any more t h a n t h e CPSU r e t r e a t from t h e extyeme v e r s i o n of t h e p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e w a s i n t e n d e d t o supp o r t Peiping

T h i r d l y , w h i l e t h e CPSU, u n l i k e Ranadive, desired t h a t a b a l a n c e be k e p t b e t f e e n s u p p o r t and c r i t i c i s m of I n d i a n government d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s , it w a s p r o b a b l y f e l t t h a t t h e balance c o n t a i n zd i n t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l d r a f t P o l i t i c a l R e s o l u t i o n was t o o h e a v i l y w e i g h t e d toward t h e p o s i t i v e s i d e t o s e r v e CPI s h o r t - t e r m i n t e r e s t s i n t h e coming e l e c t i o n campaign.

142

.:.. ... .
I

. . . . . ...... .. .: '
' . ,

...

F i n a l l y , w h i l e t h e CPSU wished g e n e r a l s u p p o r t f o r N e h r u ' s n e u t r a l f o r e i g n p o l i c y t o be r e t a i n e d , it was n e c e s s a r y t h a t Ghosh's s p e e c h -ow a l s o r e f l e c t t h e s p e c i f i c c r i t i c i s m of N e w D e l h i ' s Congo p o l i c y which had become a p p o s i t e s i n c e t h e d r a f t P o l i t i c a l R e s o l u t i o n w a s p r e p a r e d i n F e b r u a r y (as Ghosh had a l r e a d y , i n f a c t , done i n h i s 5 A p r i l P r a v d a a r t i c l e ) . These c o n s i d e r a t i o n s were a l l r e f l e c t e d i n t h e s p e e c h Ghosh d e l i v e r e d t o t h e C P I Congress on t h e a f t e r n o o n of 9 A p r i l , and i n tlie d e s c r i p t i o n of t h a t s p e e c h p u b l i s h e d i n P r a v d a t h r e e d a y s l a t e r . Ghosh's s p e e c h was h i s s e c o n d of t h e c o n g r e s s ; it w a s a r e p o r t g i v e n i n h i s c a p a c i t y as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y , o p e n i n g t h e d e b a t e on the p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n and i n t r o d u c i n g t h e N a t i o n a l Council d r a f t . I n t h i s r e p o r t Ghosh, w h i l e p r a i s i n g N e h r u ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y in g e n e r a l terms, was, l i k e t h e 5 A p r i l P r a v d a a r t i c l e , somewhat more s p e c i f i c t h a n h i s d r a f t p o l i t i c n s o l u t i o n had been on N e w D e l h i ' s defi-.: c i e n c i e s r e g a r d i n g c o l o n i a l i s m . A t t h e same t i m e , h e p l a c e d somewhat more stress on t h e degrce t o a h i c h t h e I n d i a n governinept had y i e l d e d t o t h e a t t a c k s of domestic r e a c t i o n a r i e s and had s h i f t e d t o t h e r i g h t , and spoke more of t h e " a n t i - p e o p l e m e a s u r e s " of t h e government. He d e v o t e d l e s s a t k e n t i o n t h a n had h i s d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n t o an e x p l a n a t i o n of how d e m o c r a t i c t a s k s are i n t h e " o b j e c t i v e i n t e r e s t ' ' of the a a t i o n a1 b o u r g e o i s i e , and i n f a c t spoke l e s s of t h e n a t i o n a l bourg e o i s i e g e n e r a l l y , i n s t e a d c o n c e n t r a t i n g on 'the dangsr of t h e " m o n o p o l i s t i c b o u r g e o i s i e , '' who were no l o n g e r p o r t r a y e d ss t h e i n s i g n i f i c a n t h a n d f u l t h e d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n had
described

I ,

Ghosh now c r i t i c i z e d t h e l i n e of t h e Amritsar c o n g r e s s , and f a v o r e d i n s t e a d t h e q u a l i f i e d endorsement of p e a c e f u l t r a n s i t i o n made 13:. t h e Palghat Congress of 1955. The P m r i t s a r r e s o l i l t i o n was d e s c r i b e d as b o t h r e f o r m i s t (because it i m p l i e d a b e l i e f ' t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y s l i d e i n t o power would be b o t h automatic acd smooth) ard s e c t a r i a n (because it d i d n o t a p p e a l f o r a ;;road enough u n i t e d f r o n t f o r s t r i c t l y l i m i t e d , non-socialist goals) Ghosh warned a g a i n s t i n t e r p r e t i n g ' t h e peacef u l p a t h t o s o c i a l i s m as mere r e l i a n c e upon p a r l i a m e n t a l o n e ; this h e termed a r e f o r m i s t d e c e p t i o n which had been exposed by t h e Kerala e v e n t s . Ghosh p r e d i c t e d t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s of l i f e f o r t h e masses would remain bad under t h e t h i r d f i v e - y e a r p l a n , and t h a t c l a s s c o n t r a d i c t i o n s would s h a r p e n . He c a u t i o n e d t h a t a n t i - d e m o c r a t i c t e n d e n c i e s might i n c r e a s e w i t h i n t h e r u l i n g

143

m EI T I

c l a s s , t h a t v i o l a t i o n s of p a r l i a m e n t a r y methods .and t r a d i t i o n s by t h e b o u r g e o i s i e - - s u c h as t h e means used t o e x p e l t h e CPI i n Kerala--might i n c r e a s e ; e v e n a r e a c t i o n a r g p e r s o n a l d i c t a t o r s h i p , he s a i d , might be a p o s s i b i l i t y a f t e r N e h r u ' s death.

A l l t h i s , however, w a s a t l e a s t o f f s e t by an e m p h a t i c restatement of many c e n t r a l e l e m e n t s of t h e r i g h t - w i n g l i n e . Ghosh upheld his p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n ' s c o n t e n t i o n t h a t cond i t i o n s were n e v e r t h e l e s s s t i l l f a v o r a b l e f o r t h e format.ion of a v e r y broad n a t i o n a l democratic f r o n t , whose c h i e f goal would be n o t t h e r e p l a c e m e n t of t h e government b u t t h e e n a c t ment of a series of d e m o c r a t i c r e f o r m s . While making it p l a i n t h a t t h e CPI would have t o f i g h t t h e n e x t e l e c t i o n on t h e b a s i s of its own program, w i t h t h e government n e c e s s a r i l y made t h e c l e a r t a r g e t of e l e c t o r a l a t t a c k - - a n d t h a t t h e r e f o r e any gene r a l e l e c t o r a l a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e Congress p a r t y was 'impossible-Ghosh a l s o made it p l a i n t h a t t h i s d i d n o t mean abandonment of t h e long-term e f f o r t t o draw b o t h t h e f o l l o w i n g and t h e l l p r o g r e s s i v e ' l s e c t i o n of t h e l e a d e r s h i p of t h e Congress p a r t y i n t o t h e n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t .* As in h i s d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n , a l l Ghosh's a l l u s i o n s t o Nehru e x c e p t t h o s e c o n c e r n i n g t h e Kerala e v e n t s were most f a v o r a b l e ; 'blame w a s a l m o s t i n v a r i a b l y placed upon "the government,'' n o t upon Nehru. Ghosh a l s o declared t h a t it would be a "big mistake" t o e q u a t e t h e Con- , gress w i t h t h e r i g h t i s t Indian p a r t i e s . C i t i n g t h e P a l g h a t l i n e on t h e need t o t a k e i n t o account t h e Congress' hold on t h e I n d i a n masses, Ghosh r e i t e r a t e d t h e a s s e r t i o n s made i n h i s d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n t h a t a p r o c e s s of " r e t h i n k i n g " is g o i n g on among many Congress s u p p o r t e r s and t h a t an a t t e m p t must be made t o a p p e a l t o t h e Congress masses and t o p r o g r e s s i v e Congress l e a d e r s . His d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n had c a l l e d on t h e CPI t o u n d e r t a k e j o i n t a c t i o n w i t h l o c a l Congress P a r t y committees i n p e a s a n t areas; Ghosh cow s i m i l a r l y spoke of t h e need t o t a k e i n t o a c c o u n t t h e l o y a l t y of Congress f o l l o w e r s t o t h e i r o r g a n i z a t i o n s and t o N e h r u , as w e l l as t h e need t o

. *
'.' .

i
I

I
I

*While Ghosh i n t h i s s p e e c h merely i m p l i e d s t r o n g l y s e v e r a l t i m e s t h a t t h e national democratic f r o n t must include s u i t a b l e e l e m e n t s of t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e , P r a v d a ' s 1 2 A p r i l repart on h i s s p e e c h , i n summarizing t h i s p o r t i o n o f h i s remarks, t o o k t h e l i b e r t y of s a y i n g s o e x p l i c i t l y : a n o t h e r i n d i c a t i o n of t h e CPSU's p o s i t i o n .

144

make d i r e c t a p p e a l s "not o n l y t o t h e Congress masses b u t a l s o t o Congress committees, t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e i s s u e concerned." I n s h o r t , d e s p i t e h i s r u l i n g o u t of any g e n e r a l a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e Congress P a r t y d u r i n g t h e e l e c t i o n campaign, Ghosh i n s i s t e d t h a t " u n i t e d f r o n t from above'1 as w e l l as " u n i t e d f r o n t from below" t a c t i c s must be used toward t h e Congress i n t h e long-term e f f o r t of b u i l d i n g t h e n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t . This w a s anathema t o t h e West Bengal l e f t - f a c t i o n leaders.

Worst s t i l l , from t h e p o i n t of view o f t h e Ranadive f a c t i o n , Ghosh went beyond t h e s c o p e of h i s d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n t o add a d i r e c t p o l e m i c a l a t t a c k on t h e "deep-rooted s e c t a r i a n i s m " of CPI l e a d e r s who found t h e m s e l v e s u n a b l e t o mobilize t h e masses t o combat t h e n e g a t i v e f e a t u r e s of I n d i a n government f o r e i g n p o l i c y b e c a u s e t h e y were n o t w i l l i n g o r " i n s p i r e d " t o m o b i l i z e movements i n s u p p o r t of f a v o r a b l e a s p e c t s of N e w D e l h i ' s p o l i c y . I t is a g a i n c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t h e CPSU's a t t i t u d e t h a t t h i s p a s s a g e w a s i n c l u d e d f n its e n t i r e l y i n P r a v d a ' s h i g h l y s e l e c t i v e a c c o u n t of Ghosh's s p e e c h . Also i n c l u d e d in t h e P r a v d a summary was a p o i n t e d attack made by Ghosh on t h e c o n t e n t i o n of t h e o l d 1951 program of t h e C P I t h a t t h e Nehru government was p r o - i m p e r i a l i s t . * Ghosh a l s o a t t a c k e d t h e Ranadive a l t e r n a t i v e d r a f t p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n as r e v e r t i n g t o t h e p r e - P a l g h a t l i n e of mere h o s t i l i t y t o t h e government, of mere-xposure of t h e government and t h e Congress and gene r a l propaganda a b o u t p e o p l e ' s democracy" w i t h o u t any r e a l a t t e m p t t o r e a c h Congress s u p p o r t e r s . R a n a d i v e ' s a t t i t u d e , Ghosh s a i d , w a s based on t h e " p o l i t i c a l P y p a s s i v e " e x p e c t a t i o n " t h a t some day o r o t h e r t h e masses, drawn by m i s e r y , would come o v e r t o U' and R a n a d i v e ' s d r a f t was "permeated w i t h a S : s e n s e of c o n s p i r a c y . " In attacking the CPI l e f t i s t s i n these terms, Ghosh w a s s u r e l y aware t h a t h e was r e p e a t i n g t h e language used i n t h e a s s a u l t on "contemporary l e f t - w i n g a d v e n t u r ists" i n t h e Communist movement made by S h e v l y a g i n i n a J u n e 1960 Pravda a r t i c l e - - i n o t h e r words, t h a t he was i d e n t i f y i n g Ranada p u p i l of t h e C h i n e s e .
F i n a l l y , Ghosh r e p e a t e d the s t a t e m e n t s made i n h i s 5 A p r i l Pravda a r t i c l e a b o u t t h e "heavy blow" d e a l t "to t h e d e m o c r m o r c e s and t o t h e CPI" by t h e S i n o - I n d i a n b o r d e r d i s p u t e , and i m p l i e d t h a t t h e f a i l u r e t o s e t t l e t h i s c o n f l i c t has helped r e a c t i o n a r y f o r c e s i n t h e i r e f f o r t s t o a l t e r Indian f o r e i g n p o l i c y . The r e i t e r a t i o n of t h i s p o i n t o r i g i n a l l y made *This p o i n t was a g a i n emphasized i n a s h o r t r e v i e w of t h e CPI Congress i n a f a l l i s s u e of t h e S o v i e t j o u r n a l P e o p l e s of Asia and A f r i c a . - 145 -

.
,

'.
, * ' ,

i n P r a v d a SI g g e s t s t h t it had S o v i e t p r o v a l ; anc it s known t h a t t h e CPSU had u t i l i z e d t h i s c h a r g e about t h e b a n e f u l eff e c t on t h e CPI of t h e S i n o - I n d i a n d i s p u t e i n s e v e r a l o f t h e secret c o n f r o n t a t i o n s w i t h t h e CCP d u r i n g 1960. It is p o s s i b l e t h a t w h i l e t h e S o v i e t s wanted t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o a v o i d p u b l i c d e n u n c i a t i o n s of P e i p i n g if a t a l l p o s s i b l e , n e v e r t h e l e s s Moscow also wanted t h e C P I t o realize c l e a r l y t h e f a c t t h a t t h e d i s p u t e was h u r t i n g t h e p a r t y , and t o s u g g e s t a g a i n t o I n d i a n c a d r e s t h a t t h e CCP b o r e p a r t of t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h i s .
A f u r i o u s c o n c u r r e n t d e b a t e on Ghosh's r e p o r t and on t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n n e x t e n s u e d a t t h e . C P I Congress on t h e morning of 10 April, and went on f o r f i v e f u l l days. On 10 A p r i l , Ranadive on t h e l e f t and Namboodiripad in t h e c e n t e r i n t r o d u c e d t h e i r a l t e r n a t i v e d r a f t s ; b u t b o t h of them now found t h a t t h e y had been o u t f l a n k e d by Ghosh. Many e l e m e n t s of Namboodiripad's b a l a n c e d p l a n f o r b o t h C P I s u p p o r t and c r i t i c i s m of t h e government had a l r e a d y been a c c e p t e d by Ghosh (a f a c t which t h e s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a l had acknowledged in h i s s p e e c h ) ; w h i l e Ghosh's l e f t i s t p o i n t s c a l l i n g f o r a s t r o n g l y anti-government e l e c t i o n campaign had s t o l e n many o f R a n a d i v e ' s arguments. The l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s , who were more a n x i o u s t o seize o r g a n i z a t i o n a l c o n t r o l of t h e CPI t h a n t o s e c u r e modificat i o n s of wording i n t h e p o l it i c a l r e s o l u t i o n , were r e p o r t e d t o have commented a t t h i s time t h a t Ghosh had " b e a t u s w i t h o u r own s t i c k "

..

The r i g h t wing of t h e p a r t y under Dange, however, f e l t b e t r a y e d by Ghosh's r e t r e a t , and made an u n s u c c e s s f u l a t t e m p t t o head it o f f . F o l l o w i n g t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of t h e Namboodiripad and Ranadive d r a f t s , Dange convened a f a c t i o n a l m e e t i n g of t h e CPI r i g h t wing, w i t h d e l e g a t e s from many p r o v i n c e s p r e s e n t . A t t h i s m e e t i n g Dange is r e p o r t e d t o have been p r e s s e d by extremists on t h e r i g h t t o a t t e m p t t o f o r c e a c o n g r e s s decision on t h e i r terms. Dange is s a i d t o have r e p l i e d t h a t h e was u n s u r e of h i s f o l l o w i n g ' s s t r e n g t h , and s u g g e s t e d t h a t it be tested by s u b m i t t i n g a motion t o t h e c o n g r e s s a p p r o v i n g t h e N a t i o n a l Council p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n unmodified by a n y t h i n g i n Ghosh's s p e e c h . According t o t h e r e p o r t , t h i s w a s done, . and t h e motion was d e f e a t e d by a v o t e of 205-197. Dange is s u b s e q u e n t l y s a i d t o have t o l d h i s f o l l o w e r s t h a t t h e y were u n a b l e t o c a r r y t h e p a r t y w i t h them now, m u s t a c c e p t m o d i f i c a t i o n s in t h e r e s o l u t i o n : , and s h o u l d r e l y on t h e r e s o l u t i o n ' s r e t e n t i o n of t h e " n a t i o n a l democracy" s l o g a n t o p r o t e c t t h e e s s e n c e of t h e i r views.

146

" .. <.

. .
.,

. .

. ..

'

* _

. ... .
. I

r :

On t h e morning of 1 A p r i l , Ghosh is r e p o r t e d t o have 1 e x p l a i n e d t o t h e delegates t h a t h e , Ranadive, and Namboodiripad were n e g o t i a t i n g o v e r t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n , and t h a t d e b a t e was t o c o n t i n u e i n t h e meantime. On t h e a f t e r n o o n and 1 e v e n i n g of 1 A p r i l , as p r e v i o u s l y a r r a n g e d i n t h e agenda, t h e c o n g r e s s was a d j o u r n e d f o r p r i v a t e d i c k e r i n g ; on 1 2 'April debate w a s resumed; and o n t h e morning of 13 A p r i l t h e c o n g r e s s v o t e d on numerous amendments t o Ghosh's r e p o r t , which was to be d i s p o s e d of before t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n . C e r t a i n aniendments t o t h e s p e e c h f r o m b o t h s i d e s were adopted: from t h e l e f t , provisions s t a t i n g t h a t unity with, t h e national bourgeoisie was t o be p r e d i c a t e d on t h e e x t e n t t o which i k f o u g h t imperialism and f e u d a l i s m , c a l l i n g on t h e C P I t o e x p l a i n t o t h e peop l e t h e f a l s e n e s s of t h e Congress p a r t y ' s u s e of s o c i a l i s t s l o g a n s , and c a l l i n g o n . . t h e p a r t y , w h i l e d e v e l o p i n g common a c t i v i t y w i t h Congressmen, t o e x p l a i n t o the Congress p a r t y masses t h e inadquacy of t h a t p a r t y ' s p o l i c y ; and from:-the r i g h t , an e m p h a t i c e x p l a n a t i o n of t h e need f o r c o o p e r a t i o n and a l l i a n c e s w i t h p a t r i o t i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s and " l e a d i n g Congressmen With these c o n t r a d i c t o r y e l e m e n t s added, Ghosh's G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y ' s R e p o r t w a s f o r m a l l y a c c e p t e d by t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s on t h e morning of 13 A p r i l , and w a s l a t e r d u l y p u b l i s h e d i n . t h i s form i n -New Age.

,
L.

."

On t h e a f t e r n o o n of t h e same d a y , discussion of t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n resumed. The l e f t i s t and c e n t r i s t d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n s were now withdrawn, and t h e d e l e g a t e s a g r e e d t o s e e k a d o p t i o n o f t h e Ghosh N a t i o n a l Council r e s o l u t i p n w i t h amendments. The b a t t l e now a g a i n r e v o l v e d around which amendments were t o be a c c e p t e d ; more t h a n t w o hundred w e r e r e p o r t e d o f f e r e d , and t h e v o t i n g was s a i d t o be close and b i t t e r , w i t h the d e l e g a t e s s h o u t i n g and h e c k l i n g one a n o t h e r . On 1 4 A p r i l , t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s f i n a l l y v o t e d t o a c c e p t t h e Ghosh r e s o l u t i o n p l u s t h r e e amendments of some consequence l e a n i n g on t h e whole toward t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n s i d e : these were s a i d t o r e l a t e t o t h e p e r n i c i o u s r o l e of Western c a p i t a l i n I n d i a ; t h e n e e d f o r t h e p a r t y t o l e a d m a s s s t r u g g l e s ; and t h e c i r cumstances under which c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h l e f t i s t e l e m e n t s among Congress p a r t y leaders would be f e a s i b l e . The r e s o l u t i o n was a l s o amended t o i n c l u d e t h e f i n a l s e c t i o n of Ghosh's r e p o r t d e a l i n g w i t h t h e p a r t y ' s f a c t i c a l l i n e d u r i n g t h e coming elect i o n campaign: as h a s a l r e a d y been n o t e d , t h i s was t h e most markedly anti-government a s p e c t of Ghosh's s p e e c h . Ghosh w a s a u t h o r i z e d by t h e c o n g r e s s t o t i d y up t h e r e s o l u t i o n a l o n g

147

these l i n e s and release it l a t e r . As e v e n t u a l l y p u b l i s h e d i n t h e 7 May New Age, t h e r e s o l u t i o n i n its f i n a l form c l e a r l y 7 showed t h e i n f l u e n c e of t h e l e f t i s t amendments, which gave t o i t a more c o n s i s t e n t l y m i l i t a n t and a n t i - C o n g r e s s t o n e o v e r a l l t h a n t h a t of Ghosh's s p e e c h , l e t a l o n e t h a t of t h e o r i g i n a l N a t i o n a l Council d r a f t . T h i s was t h e greatest achievement t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n leaders w e r e t o r e g i s t e r a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , and was a good i n d i c a t i o n of t h e i r s t r e n g t h among t h e delegates. However, because t h e l e f t i s t s were u n a b l e t o follow t h i s up by s e i z i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n a l c o n t r o l of t h e p a r t y , and b e c a u s e n e i t h e r t h e CPSU n o r Ghosh w a s behind them, t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n of many l e f t i s t v i e w s i n t o t h e r e s o l u t i o n d i d n o t mean e n f o r c e ment of t h o s e views upon t h e p a r t y as a whole, b e c a u s e prov i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s c o u l d and d i d f i n d i n t h e r e s o l u t i o n some l a n g u a g e t o j u s t i f y t h e moderate o r extremist c o u r s e t h e p a r t i c u l a r f a c t i o n i n c o n t m 1 of each p r o v i n c e i n t e n d e d t o c o n t i n u e t o follow. L a t e r on 1 4 A p r i l , S u s l o v is r e p o r t e d t o have had a n o t h e r c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h C P I leaders. Although much of what he s a i d on t h i s o c c a s i o n is a v a i l a b l e o n l y t h r o u g h t h e d i s t o r t i n g p r i s m of l e f t - f a c t i o n propaganda, t h e CPSU o f f i c i a l appears t o have r e i t e r a t e d p r e v i o u s S o v i e t emphasis on t h e need f o r t h e C P I t o m a i n t a i n b o t h s u p p o r t f o r Nehru's p r o g r e s s i v e f o r e i g n p o l i cies and c r i t i c i s m o f h i s p o l i c y s h o r t c o m i n g s i n a n e f f o r t t o b r i n g p r e s s u r e on t h e I n d i a n b o u r g e o i s i e t o arrest I n d i a ' s s l i d e toward t h e V e s t and p u l l it &6ward t h e bloc. Suslov also seems t o have repeated h i s a d v i c e t o CPI leaders n o t t o volunteer any p u b l i c a t t a c k s on t h e CPR, s u b j e c t agafin t o t h e i m p o r t a n t q u a l i f i c a t i o n t h a t t h e CPI as a m a s s p a r t y w a s bound t o e n c o u n t e r q u e s t i o n s on t h i s i s s u e and had a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o answer them. I

i
I

*Basavapunniah, f o r example, c o n t i n u i n g h i s e f f o r t s t o conv i n c e t h e CPI t h a t t h e CPSU had g i v e n a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e I n d i a n p a r t y t o P e i p i n g , claimed p r i v a t e l y t h a t Suslov had s t r o n g l y urged t h e C P I t o "follow" the Chinese example of economic development and had emphasized t h a t t h e Chinese method of " s o l v i n g t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l cris;is" w a s a p p l i c a b l e t o I n d i a . T h i s claim w a s remarkable i n view o f t h e c u r r e n t Chinese economic s i t u a t i o n and t h e many S o v i e t p u b l i c and p r i v a t e a l l u s i o n s i n 1961 t o t h e m e s s t h e Chinese p a r t y had c r e a t e d .

I
~

-'

148

.
. .

.I

'.. . .

.
.
, I

'

On t h e morning of t h e 1 5 t h , Namboodiripad p r e s e n t e d h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t on t h e p a r t y , t o g e t h e r w i t h h i s *proposed d r a f t of a new p a r t y c o n s t i t u t i o n . Both were a p p a r e n t l y b r i e f l y d i s c u s s e d by t h e c o n g r e s s and t h e n s h e l v e d , l i k e t h e p a r t y program, as too c o n t r o v e r s i a l f o r t h e p a r t y t o c o n s i d e r in its p r e s e n t d i v i d e d s t a t e . Namboodiripad's r e p o r t w a s along and S c a t h i n g ' d o c u m e n t a t i o n of t h e p r o c e s s by which t h e I n d i a n Communist P a r t y s i n c e t h e e a r l y 1950s had l o s t e v e r y semblance of i n t e r n a l d i s c i p l i n e o r c o h e r e n t c e n t r a l i z e d d i r e c t i o n , t o u c h i n g i n t e r a l i a on s u c h f a c t o r s i n t h i s process as t h e 1947-1951 f a c t i o n a l b a t t l e s for t h e l e a d e r s h i p , t h e tremendous e f f e c t s of d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n on t h e CPI, and t h e s t e a d y growth of p a r l i a m e n t a r y i l l u s i o n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e p a r t y . Although t h e r e may be some t r u t h t o s u b s e q u e n t CPI l e f t i s t claims t h a t S u s l o v read and approved a s p e c t s of' t h i s r e p o r t , it is v e r y d o u b t f u l t h a t any CPSU r e p r e s e n t a t i v e c o u l d have approved of t h e way Namboodiripad t r i e d t o resolve t h e d u a l q u e s t i o n of d i s c i p l i n e w i t h i n and among Communist p a r t i e s . After d e p l o r i n g t h e e r o s i o n of f a i t h w i t h i n t h e CPI in b o t h democratic c e n t r a l i s m and t h e s o l i d a r i t y of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement , Namboodiripad h a i l e d t h e 1960 Moscow S t a t e m e n t as " p o i n t i n g o u t t h e way in which t h e i d e o l o g i c a l - p o l i t i c a l iss u e s of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement are t o be f u r t h e r d i s c u s s e d and d e c i d e d . '' He d e c l a r e d :
I

While e v e r y n a t i o n a l p a r t y w i l l d i s c u s s and decide

q u e s t i o n s of n a t i o n a l importance as a c e n t r a l i z e d p a r t y i n which it is o b l i g a t o r y f o r t h e m i n o r i t y t o submit itself t o t h e m a j o r i t y and f o r t h e lower u n i t s t o submit themselves t o t h e higher u n i t s , t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s of t h e world Communist movement are s o a r r a n g e d t h a t " t h e Communist and Workers p a r t i e s h o l d m e e t i n g s whenever n e c e s s a r y t o d i s c u s s u r g e n t problems':, and o t h e r w i s e m a i n t a i n t h e u n i t y of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l movement. This would g i v e us a c l e a r p e r s p e c t i v e of t h e way i n which t h e world Communist movement is growing and is a r r a n g i n g its a f f a i r s . T h i s new c o n c e p t i o n of t h e u n i t y of t h e world movement s h o u l d h e l p u s a good deal i n overcoming t h e consequences of t h e shocks f e l t by u s a f t e r t h e T w e n t i e t h - P S U 7 Congress. E -

...

I
I

I
I

The c o n t e x t of t h i s p a s s a g e s u g g e s t e d t h a t Namboodiripad was i m p l y i n g t h a t h e welcomed t h e 1960 Moscow S t a t e m e n t as r e p r e s e n t i n g S o v i e t p u b l i c acknowledgement t h a t it was l o o s e n i n g

- 149

i
. . . . . ... .. . . .i . . .
..

1
I

m n

I II

t h e r e i n s on t h e world movement, and t h a t o n l y s u c h a r e l i n q u i s h P ment o f CPSU a u t h o r i t y c o u l d s a t i s f y t h e demands of C I memb e r s and r e s t o r e t h e i r w i l l i n g n e s s t o accept i n t e r n a l d i s c i p l i n e in i t i e w of t h e misuse t o which t h e CPSU had p u t p a r t y d i s c i p l i n e i n S t a l i n ' s t i m e . But i Namboodiripad t h o u g h t t h e CPSU w a s f i n f a c t w i l l i n g t o accept as f i n a l t h e defeat it had s u f f e r e d on , t h i s i s s u e i n 1960 a t t h e hands o f t h e Chinese p a r Q , h e w a s n a i v e ; and t h i s may have had something t o do w i t h t h e f a c t t h a t h i s r e p o r t was s h e l v e d .

I t was also on 15 April t h a t f o u r separate d r a f t r e s o l u tions were p r e s e n t e d t o t h e c o n g r e s s on t h e border q u e s t i o n , e x p r e s s i n g , w i t h v a r y i n g degrees of w a r m t h , regret a t t h e p o s i t i o n t a k e n by P e i p i n g . In a c c o r d a n c e w i t h Suslov's adv i c e , none of these r e s o l u t i o n s w a s adopted or e v e n allowed t o be d i s c u s s e d by t h e c o n g r e s s . The final major b a t t l e of t h e CPI c o n g r e s s , o v e r t h e e l e c t i o n of a new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , began on t h e e v e n i n g of 15 A p r i l and went on t h r o u g h a n a l l - n i g h t s e s s i o n u n t i l t h e morning of 16 A p r i l , accompanied by booing, h e c k l i n g , and delegate walkouts. The i s s u e w a s j o i n e d when t h e o l d N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l on 1 5 A p r i l was u n a b l e t o agree on t h e customary Communist s i n g l e list of c a n d i d a t e s for t h e new p a r t y o r g a n , b e c a u s e t h e l e f t i s t leaders i n s i s t e d on complete autonomy f o r t h e p r o v i n c i a l committees i n choosing t h e i r own slates of r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . T h i s w a s a move d e s i g n e d t o allow t h e l e f t ists in c o n t r o l of s u c h p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s as those of West Bengal and t h e P u n j a b t o p u r g e t h e f e w r i g h t i s t leaders from t h e i r p r o v i n c e s p r e v i o u s l y placed on t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l . The s t r u g g l e w a s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e c o n g r e s s plenum, and t h e l e f t i s t s attempted t o c a r r y o u t t h e i r purge; but t h e r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n r e t a l i a t e d by p r o p o s i n g changes from t h e f l o o r . The l e f t i s t s from West Bengal, t h e P u n j a b , and Tamilnad t h e n withdrew t h e i r s l a t e s and walked o u t of t h e c o n g r e s s , l e a v i n g a rump of t h e new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l elected. Although Dange rep o r t e d l y wished t o allow t h i s rump.- t o go ahead and f u n c t i o n which would have formalized an open s c h i s m i n t h e CPI--Ghosh worked f r a n t i c a l l y t h r o u g h t h e n i g h t ( w i t h , presumably, S u s l o v ' s h e l p ) t o t r y t o f i n d a n acceptable compromise. I n t h e end,

150

. . .

. .

..

'

'

.'.

.
.. .

.
-

. .

it w 2 s a g r e e d t o m e n d t h e CPI C o n s t i t u t i o n t o e n l a r g e t h e l i m i t f i x e d f o r t h e N a t i o n a l Council s u f f i c i e n t l y t o accommodate t h e l e f t i s t s l a t e s p l u s t h e p e r s o n s t h e l e f t i s t s had o u s t e d . * 'Thereupon, t h e l e f t i s t RamamurtM announced on 16 A p r i l t h a t a l l t h o s e who had withdrawn from t h e new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l were now back; t h e I t a l i a n p a r t y o b s e r v e r P a j e t t z was s a i d t o have commented p r i v a t e l y on t h e s t r o n g f a c t i o n a l discipline t h i s revealed.

The u p s h o t of t h i s s t r u g g l e - - i n which t h e open s p l i t t h e CPSU f e a r e d had almost materialized--was t h a t t h e r i g h t i s t s r e t a i n e d a r e d u c e d m a j o r i t y on t h e N a t i e n a l C o u n c i l ; of t h e 110 m e m b e r s of +,he new body, 56 were estimated t o be r i g h t i s t s , 36 t o be l e f t i s t s , w i t h 18 n e u t r a l s . I t w i l l b e s e e n , however, t h a t t h e t a c t i c s t h e i e f t i s t s had u s e d t o a c h i e v e t h i s l i m i t e d improvement of t h e i r p o s i t i o n were to c o s t them d e a r l y when t h e t i m e cane f o r t h e r i g h t i s t - l e d N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l t o e l e c t a new C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e and C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t
~

L a t e r on 16 A p r i l , Ghosh was d u l y r e - e l e c t e d g e n e r a l sec' r e t a r y of t h e p a r t y , and t h e c o n g r e s s c l o s e d . N e i t h e r wing of t h e p a r t y had o b t a i n e d e v e r y t h i n g it wanted, b u t many of t h e l e f t i s t leaders c o u l d and d i d c o n g r a t u l a t e t h e m s e l v e s on t h e g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d s t r e n g t h t h e y had shown a t the c o n g r e s s , and claimed t h e y had made a t l e a s t a s t a r t toward s e i z i n g cont r o l of t h e p a r t y . E x t r e m i s t s on b o t h s i d e s t e n d e d t o be b i t t e r and t o o f f e r c o n t r a d i c t o r y estimates of what had happened. A t an a l c o h o l i c l u n c h e o n w i t h c r o n i e s l a t e r i n t h e month, Dange t o o k an e x a g g e r a t e d l y p e s s i m i s t i c l i n e , c o m p l a i n i n g t h a t Ranad i v e now had t h e s t r o n g e s t o r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e CPI and blami n g S u s l o v f o r t h e c o n c e s s i o n s to the l e f t i s t s Ghosh:h.ad made. The Andhra extreme l e f t i s t Sundarayya, on t h e o t h e r hand, t o l d f r i e n d s a week a f t e r t h e c o n g r e s s chat h e r e g r e t t e d that t h e c o n g r e s s c o u l d n o t g i v e a c l e a r l e a d t o t h e p e o p l e , and w a s c a u s t i c a b o u t t h e p r o p o s e d f o r n a t i o n of a n a t i o n a l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t i n c l u d i n g "so-called" p r o g r e s s i v e s of t h e Congress p a r t y ,

iI
. I

* A c t u a l l y , o n e or two of the n i n e e x t r a p e r s o n s t h u s res t o r e d t o t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l were l e f t i s t s from M a h a r a s h t r a whom t h e r i g h % i s t f a c t i o n Bad a l s o s c u g l i t t o p u r g e .

,.

151

Sundarayya t h o u g h t t h a t s o m e comrades had b e t r a y e d t h e p a r t y , l u r e d by t h e p r o s p e c t of t e m p o r a r y g a i n s ; t h a t t h e p a r l i a m e n t a r y p a t h had been t r a e d and had f a i l e d , and s h o u l d h a v e been abandoned; t h a t t h e p a r t y w a s l o s i n g i t s s p i r i t of s a c r i f i c e and r e v o l u t i o n a r y c h a r a c t e r , and t h e r e f o r e t h e r i g h t i s t r e s o l u t i o n had been a c c e p t e d by t h e congress;* t h a t t h e l e f t i s t s had t r i e d t o r e o r i e n t and r e v o l u t i o n i z e t h e p a r t y , b u t had f a i l e d , b e c a u s e ''a powerful s e c t i o n " of t h e p a r t y wished t o s u p p o r t Nehru's government. If t h e p a r t y s u p p o r t e d Nehru, h e s a i d , it might as w e l l n o t e x i s t as a s e p a r a t e p a r t y , and s h o u l d j o i n t h e Congress o r g a n i z a t i o n (an e c h o of t h e C h i n e s e g u i d a n c e i t o t h e l e f t i s t s w ~ i d 8 4 n December 1 9 6 0 ) . Sundarayya a s k e d how t h e CPI cousd cooperate w-ith ,a robber, even t h o u g h a small f r a c t i o n of h i s s p o i l s went t o t h e u n d e r p r i v i l e g e d ; h e c o u l d n o t u n d e r s t a n d how t h e r e c o u l d be a "good" r o b b e r ( e c h o i n g t h e Red F l a g a r t i c l e s of A p r i l 1960). S u p p o r t for Nehru and f o r the p a r l i a m e n t a r y s y s t e m w a s e s t r a n g i n g t h e C P I f r o m t h e masses, he f e l t ; "when leaders l i k e m e s h e d b l o o d , " h e added, " o n l y t h e n c a n t h e p a r t y grow." I n t h e s e n s e , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t t h e ' S i x t h C P I Congress d i d n o t encourage Sundarayya t o s h e d h i s b l o o d and d i d i n d i c a t e c o n t i n u e d ( i f c o n d i t i o n a l ) r e l i a n c e upon p a r l i a m e n t a r y t a c t i c s , t h e outcome f a v o r e d t h e r i g h t i s t s . On t h e o t h e r hand, i n l i n e w i t h t h e p a r t y ' s r e t r e a t from t h e Amritsar e x p r e s s i o n of f a i t h i n a p a r l i a m e n t a r y t r a n s i t i o n t o socialism t o t h e P a l g h a t ass e r t i o n t h a t t h e f e a s i b i l i t y of a p a r l i a m e n t a r y t r a n s i t i o n would depend o n t h e f u t u r e a t t i t u d e shown by t h e b o u r g e o i s i e , s t e p s seem. t o have been t a k e n a t t h e c o n g r e s s t o expedite d e c i s i o n s p r e v i o u s l y t a k e n t o b u i l d up t h e p a r t y ' s underground o r g a n i z a t i o n . Dange claimed t h a t t h e CPI had d e c i d e d t o e s t a b l i s h a network of underground "combat cells" a l l o v e r I n d i a d u r i n g t h e n e x t two years, t o be u s e d i n case of need; and J a i p a l Singh, t h e head of t h e CPI secret o r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e d e f e n s e s e r v i c e s , t o l d a r e c r u i t a f t e r the c o n g r e s s t h a t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n w a s i n f u l l s w i n g a g a i n a f t e r h a v i n g been d e a c t i v a t e d i n May 1960 because of p a r t y f a c t i o n a l i s r n and government a t t e n t i o n t o h i s a c t i v i t i e s . Nothing more h a s been h e a r d s i n c e ' t h e c o n g r e s s

*Sundarayya's view of t h e n a t u r e of t h e r e s o l u t i o n f i n a l l y p a s s e d by t h e c o n g r e s s .

152

-m

a b o u t tile p o s s i b i l i t y of Chinese h e l p t o and g u i d a n c e f o r t h e s e C P I underground a c t i v i t i e s ; t h e r e had been i n d i c a t i o n s e a r l i e r i n t h e y e a r t h a t P e i p i n g had responded t o t h e l e f t i s t p l e a f o r s u c h h e l p by p r e d i c a t i n g it upon l e f t i s t s e i z u r e of o r g a n i z a t i o n a l c o n t r o l of t h e CPI a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s , and t h e f a i l ure of t h e l e f t i s t s t o do t h i s , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e a p p a r e n t CPSU moves t o preempt s u p e r v i s i o n of t h i s f i e l d , may have i n duced P e i p i n g t o back off.
D.

The CPI Between Its Congress and t h e 22nd CPSU Congress

J u n e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l Meeting: T o months a f t e r t h e S i x t h w Congress, t h e new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l m e t a t B a n g a l o r e , w i t h i t s m o s t i m p o r t a n t t a s k t h e e l e c t i o n of t h e C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Comm i t t e e and t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , t h e e x e c u t i v e bodies t h a t would be c h a r g e d w i t h immediate s u p e r v i s i o n of t h e p a r t y until t h e n e x t p a r t y c o n g r e s s . Both of t h e o l d o r g a n s had p r e v i o u s l y t u r n e d o u t t o have l e f t i s t m a j o r i t i e s , d e s p i t e t h e l a r g e r i g h t i s t m a j o r i t y on t h e o l d N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l which had elected them: a f a c t s u g g e s t i n g t h a t t h e p o l a r i z a t i o n of t h e p a r t y which w a s b r o u g h t t o e v e r y o n e ' s awareness under t h e i m pact of t h e S i n o - S o v i e t d i s p u t e i n 1959 aod 1960 had n o t gone n e a r l y s o f a r i n 1958 when t h e p a r t y organs were last c h o s e n . Wow, t h i s d i s c r e p a n c y w a s i n t o l e r a b l e t o t h e r i g h t i s t s ; and t h e new N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , w i t h a much smaller r i g h t i s t m a j o r i t y t h a n before, r e p l a c e d t h e o l d C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee dominated 1 4 t o 9 by t h e l e f t i s t s w i t h a new body i n which t h e moderates had a 13 t o 1 2 edge. An e v e n g r e a t e r change o c c u r r e d i n t h e C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t , which is r e g p o n s i b l e f o r t h e dayt o - d a y o p e r a t i o n of t h e p a r t y , and which the l e f t i s t s had been a b l e t o u s e t o t h e i r own a d v a n t a g e on s e v e r a l occasions i n G h o s h ' s a b s e n c e . This body was c u t down t o f i v e members, of whom t h e f i r s t four--Ghosh, Dange, M.IF. Govindan N a i r , * and Z . A. Ahad--were moderates , w h i l e Bhupesh Gupta was t h e s o l e l e f t i s t r e m a i n i n g . Although some r e p o r t s have s u g g e s t e d t h a t

.
9

*After going through s e v e r a l s t a g e s i n h i s p o l i t i c a l evolut i o n ( l i k e a number of o t h e r CPI l e a d e r s ) , Nair had now adopte d a moderate p o s i t i o n .

153

mTD

t h i s one-sided r e s u l t came about p a r t l y because c e r t a i n l e f t ists, i n c l u d i n g Ranadive, w i t h d r e w t h e i r names r a t h e r t h a n p a r t i c i p a t e i n a l a r g e r rightist-dominated S e c r e t a r i a t , the d i r e c t i o n of t h e change w a s n o t caused by these l e f t i s t maneuve r i n g s . The m o s t i m p o r t a n t e f f e c t of t h e S e c r e t a r i a t r e s h u f f l e w a s t o e n s u r e t h a t u n t i l the n e x t p a r t y c o n g r e s s t h e c e n t r a l

d i r e c t i o n of t h e I n d i a n Communist P a r t y would remain i n hands a t least more l i k e l y t h a n before t o be l o y a l t o t h e CPSU under a l l c i r c u m s t a n c e s . For t h i s r e a s o n , it seems r e a s o n a b l e t o b e l i e v e - - a l t h o u g h t h e r e is no d i r e c t e v i d e n c e - - t h a t t h e b a s i c t r e n d of these c h a n g e s , if not t h e d e t a i l s , was endorsed by t h e CPSU i n advance.
. .

P r o v i n c i a l F a c t i o n a l S t r u g g l e s : The CPI w a s supposed t o have u n i t e d t o c o n c e n t r a t e its e n e r g y i n p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h e e l e c t o r a l campaign. However, f a c t i o n a l i n f i g h t i n g - - s l i g h t l y subdued-vent on as b e f o r e , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s . The r i g h t wing scored a temporary v i c t o r y i n a m a r g i n a l p r o v i n c e i n J u n e , when t h e Andhra P r a d e s h p a r t y n a r r o w l y elected a r i g h t i s t as t h e new p a r t y s e c r e t a r y a g a i n s t a l e f t i s t opponent s u p p o r t e d by Sundaragya. I n J u l y , t h e n o r t h e r n U t t a r P r a d e s h o r g a n i z a t i o n c o n t r o l l e d by r i g h t ist C e n t r a l Secretariat member Ahmad a g a i n defeated t h e l o c a l l e f t - w i n g o p p o s i t i o n . I n May and June Ranadive and Dange b o t h were r e p o r t e d making s t r m u o u s e f f o r t s t o s t r e n g t h t h e p o s i t i o n s of t h e i r m i n o r i t y a d h e r e n t s i n t h e r e s p e c t i v e opp o s i t i o n s t r o n g h o l d s of Maharashtra and West Bengal; i n n e i $ h e r case d i d these e f f o r t s bear immediate f r u i t .
While most CPI leaders d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d were g u i d e d by t h e S o v i e t a d v i c e t o r e m a i n circumspect i n t h e i r p u b l i c statements on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e , t h i s was n o t s o of e v e r y o n e : Ahmad i n J u l y i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e p a r t y would take a c l e a r l y n a t i o n a l i s t s s a n d on t h e q u e s t i o n of Chinese i n c u r s i o n i n t o I n d i a , a p o s f t i o n f o r which h e w a s s e v e r e l y berated i n t h e West Bepgal o r g a n i z a t i o n , and from which h e s u b s e q u e n t l y retreated. Ramamurthi, t h e l e f t i s t from Tamilnad, on t h e o t h e r hand w a s q u o t e d i n June b y a p r o v i n c i a l b o u r g e o i s newspaper as h a v i n g declared i n a p r i v a t e i n t e r v i e w t h a t I n d i a , n o t China, had committed a g g r e s s i o n o n t h e b o r d e r . The l e f t i s t a t t i t u d e on t h i s score was made c l e a r by Ranadive i n May when he t o l d a closed p a r t y m e e t i n g t h a t the a t t i t u d e Nehru showed toward China on t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e s h o u l d be an i m p o r t a n t c r i t e r i o n f o r t h e a p p r a i s a l of h i s f o r e i g n p o l i c y .

.,

154

.. .

--

Both Dange and t h e l e f t i s t l e a d e r s acknowledged i n t h e months a f t e r t h e S i x t h Congress t h a t t h e l i n e t h e C P I w a s now followimg w a s an ambiguous one d e s i g n e d s o l e l y f o r t h e i n t e r i m p e r i o d of t h e e l e c t i o n campaign, and t h a t a more c o n s i s t e n t l i n e (by which t h e y meant one f o l l o w i n g t h e i r own views) would have t o be s o u g h t a f t e r t h e e l e c t i o n s . I n t h e meantime, as e x p e c t e d , t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s and c e n t r a l f a c t i o n s were i n t e r p r e t i n g the t a c t i c a l l i n e f o r t h e e l e c t i o n s t o s u i t t h e m s e l v e s . I n some cases t h i s meant c o m p l e t e l y i g n o r i n g e v e r y t h i n g t h a t had happened a t t h e p a r t y c o n g r e s s . A c e n t r a l p a r t y o f f i c i a l w a s t o complain i n t h e f a l l t h a t c e r t a i n prov i n c i a l committees had n o t e v e n t r o u b l e d t o g e t t h e P o l i t i c a l R e s o l u t i o n t r a n s l a t e d i n t o t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e l a n g u a g e s , so t h a t p a r t y members were n o t t o l d of what was supposed t o be t h e off i c i a l l i n e of t h e p a r t y . T h i s o f f i c i a l n o t e d t h e " d e p r e s s i n g " f a c t t h a t "some l e a d i n g cadres have n o t even cared t o r e a d t h e r e s o l u t i o n , " and t h a t no p r o v i n c i a l committee had b o t h e r e d t 9 inform t h e p a r t y c e n t e r what if a n y t h i n g it w a s d o i n g t o exp l a i n it t o l o c a l p a r t y m e m b e r s . ' ( A t t h e June m e e t i n g o f t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l , Namboodiripad had lamented t h e " s o r r y s t a t e of a f f a i r s f i h e r e b y 7 t h e C e n t r a l Office of t h e p a r t y ...is n o t in a p o s i t i o n e v e n t o c o l l e c t i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l p o s i t i o n of t h e p a r t y i n v a r i o u s s t a t e s and r e g i o n s . " ) Even when t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s t o o k c o g n i z a n c e
of t h e l i n e t h e c o n g r e s s had adopted, t h e y reacted i n o p p o s i t e

.'

'

d i r e c t i o n s . On t h e one hand, d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g and summer r i g h t - w i n g p a r t y u n i t s i n D e l h i and Andhra were n e g o t i a t i n g t o s u p p o r t Congress c a n d i d a t e s , Namboodiripad was p l e d g i n g C P I s u p p o r t f o r a Congress o r P r a j a S o c i a l i s t c a n d i d a t e f o r t h e Kerala Assembly s p e a k e r s h i p . and Ghosh and Namboodiripad were s e e k i n g t o p u l l t h e CPI o u t o f i t s p o l i t i c a l i s o l a t i o n by i s s u i n g p u b l i c a p p e a l s t o t h e Congress and P r a j a S o c i a l i s t p a r t i e s t o form a u n i t e d f r o n t w i t h t h e C P I t o f i g h t communali s m i n I n d i a . On t h e o t h e r hand, West Bengal p a r t y m e e t i n g s h e a r d a t t a c k s on t h e r i g h t i s t a c t i v i t i e s of t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y , l e a d e r s h i p , and c r i t i c i s m of Bhupesh Gupta f o r a g r e e i n g t o s e r v e as t h e s o l e l e f t i s t on t h e r i g h t i s t C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t . I n August, f o l l o w e r s of Konar p r e p a r e d a d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n f o r t h e West Bengal p a r t y a t t a c k i n g t h e p o l i t i c a l r e s o l u t i o n a d o p t e d a t t h e CPI Congress, c o m p l a i n i n g t h a t even R m a d i v e ' s p r o p o s a l s had n o t gone f a r enough t o t h e l e f t , and denouncing t h e p a r t y l e a d e r s h i p f o r f a i l i n g t o see t h a t t h e National Democratic F r o n t l i n e was u n s u i t a b l e f o r I n d i a . Konar h i m s e l f a t a
"

. .
.

155

'I

. .,,

..

.
...
I

.
.
I

. .

. . .

. ..

.
4
. '

..

. . .

. ..

P r o v i n c i a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g d e c l a r e d t h a t t h i s l i n e was u n r e a l i s t i c , and a t t a c k e d t h e c e n t r a l l e a d e r s for w i s h f u l t h i n k i n g on t h e q u e s t i o n of c o o p e r a t i n g w i t h p r o g r e s s i v e Cong r e s s p a r t y e l e m e n t s , d e c l a r i n g t h a t Ghosh and t h e o t h e r s i n N e w D e l h i a p p e a r e d t o want t o a v o i d s e r i o u s b a t t l e s o n t h e economic as w e l l as t h e p o l i t i c a l f r o n t . He asked t h e West Bengal o r g a n i z a t i o n t o scotch any i l l u s i o n s a b o u t t h e growth of a lfbourgeois'l d e m o c r a t i c f r o n t i n t h e i r p r o v i n c e , and s t a t e d t h a t t h e West Bengal p a r t y was f i g h t i n g f o r a l e f t i s t a l l i a n c e in West Bengal r a t h e r t h a n for a b o u r g e o i s d e m o c r a t i c a l l i a n c e . What t h i s meant i n p r a c t i c e w a s t h a t t h e l e f t i s t West Benl e a d e r s h i p n o t o n l y e m p h a t i c a l l y r e j e c t e d a t t e m p t s by t h e l o c a l r i g h t - w i n g m i n o r i t y t o have t h e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y s u p p o r t o c c a s i o n a l p r o g r e s s i v e Congress P a r t y c a n d i d a t e s , b u t a l s o r e f u s e d t o allow t h e i m p o r t a n t b u t vehemently a n t i - C h i n e s e Praja S o c i a l i s t p a r t y i n t o t h e a l l i a n c e t h e y - w e r e c o n s t r u c t i n g f o r t h e e l e c t i o n s , d e c l a r i n g t h a t t h e y would "not s u r r e n d e r t o a t t e m p t s t o smuggle C o n g r e s s i t e p o l i t i c a l t h o u g h t i n t o t h e l e f t i s t alliance." I n s t e a d , t h e West Bengal p a r t y a l l i e d its e l f o n l y w i t h a group of t i n y s p l i n t e r p a r t i e s on t h e extreme l e f t which it c o u l d e x p e c t t o dominate w i t h o u t t h e need f o r compromise. Moreover, b e c a u s e Konar and t h e o t h e r extremist leaders h e l d o u t t h e u n r e a l i s t i c hope t o p a r t y cadres t h a t t h e y c o u l d unaided win c o n t r o l of t h e West Bengal L e g i s l a t u r e and form a p u r e l y Communist p r o v i n c i a l government, t h e p a r t y w a s n i g g a r d l y i n a l l o t i n g l e g i s l a t i v e c a n d i d a t u r e s t o i&sa l l i e s i n t h e l e f t i s t a l l i a n c e , t o t h e p o i n t of endangering t h a t all i a n c e . F i n a l l y , t h e l e f t - f a c t i o n l e a d e r s h i p of t h e West Beng a l p a r t y is r e p o r t e d t o have a t t e m p t e d t o c o n t i n u e i t s p u r g e of r i g h t i s t o p p o s i t i o n w i t h i n t h e p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y by d e n y i n g p a r t y nominations f o r s e a t s i n t h e l e g i s l a t u r e t o l e a d i n g - rightists.
gal

Ghosh and Basu V i s i t s t o Moscow: Meanwhile, on 1 J u l y 1 Ghosh l e f t f o r one of his p e r i o d i c v i s i t s t o Moscow, t o cons u l t w i t h CPSU l e a d e r s on a v a r i e t y of s u b j e c t s . I n a d d i t i o n t o h o l d i n g d i s c u s s i o n s o n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s i t u a t i o n and on CPI i n t e r n a l d i s s e n s i o n and p o l i c i e s , Ghosh is t o ave t a k e n meexings 01 a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l committee c o n s i d e r i n g f r e s h CPSU-CCP g r i e v a n c e s . While t h i s is c o m p l e t e l y unconfirmed, it is q u i t e p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e CPSU gave Ghosh some b r i e f i n g on t h e c u r r e n t s t a t e of S i n o - S o v i e t r e l a t i o n s . There is no

raid-

156

. .<. :. . .. .

. . ..

....

e v i d e n c e , however, t h a t Ghosh was t o l d of a S o v i e t i n t e n t i o n t o a t t a c k t h e Albanian l e a d e r s - - a n d t h u s i n d i r e c t l y t h e CCp-a t t h e 22nd CPSU Congress i n October.

A f e w weeks a f t e r Ghosh's d e p a r t u r e f o r the S o v i e t Union, he w a s followed there by J y o t i Basu, t h e West Bengal leader who had stepped down as p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y s e c r e t a r y i n J a n u a r y . R e p o r t s i n d i c a t e t h a t d u r i n g t h e t w o o r three weeks t h a t Basu remained i n Moscow, t h e S o v i e t l e a d e r s h i p made some e f f o r t t o i n f l u e n c e h i s views b o t h on t h e i s s u e of t h e " n a t i o n a l democ r a t i c f r o n t " and on t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e r e l a t i o n s of t h e West Bengal p a r t y t o t h e CCP. While there was some i n d i c a t i o n both before and a f t e r Basu's j o u r n e y t h a t h i s views had become a t r i f l e less extreme t h a n those of Konar or Promode D a s Gupta ( t h e new p r o v i n c i a l p a r t y secretary), t h e r e was no.; s u b s e q u e n t e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e CPSU had succeeded i n d r i v i n g a s e r i o u s wedge i n t o t h e pro-Chinese l e f t - f a c t i o n phalanx in West Bengal which Konar and Gupta now c o n t r o l l e d .
September N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l Meeting and E l e c t i o n Manifesto: I n e a r l y September Ghosh r e t u r n e d t o I n d i a , b e a r i n g w i t h hfm i n s t r u c t i o n s r e p o r t e d l y g i v e n him by CPSU P r e s i d i u m member Kuusinen t o see t h a t t h e CPI i n its f o r t h c o m i n g E l e c t i o n Manif e s t o made some g e s t u r e i n s u p p o r t of t h e I n d i a n n a t i o n a l i s t p o s i t i o n on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e and in condemnation of the'Chin e s e p o s i t i o n . While it is undoubtedly t r u e t h a t t h e CPSU gave s u c h a d v i c e p r i m a r i l y b e c a u s e it wished t h e C P I t o make t h e most e f f e c t i v e p o s s i b l e a p p e a l t o n a t i o n a l i s t s e n t i m e n t i n t h e e l e c t i o n s , t h e f a c t t h a t t h i s c o n s i d e r a t i o n had so much greater weight w i t h Kuusinen in September t h a n w i t h S u s l o v i n A p r i l s t r o n g l y s u g g e s t s t h a t Moscow was a t l e a s t p a r t l y i n f l u e n c e d by t h e f a c t t h a t it w a s about t o l a u n c h a major off e n s i v e a g a i n s t t h e CCP and its a d h e r e n t s a t t h e CPSU p a r t y c o n g r e s s t h e f o l l o w i n g month. T h i s is a l s o suggested by t h e extreme n a t u r e of t h e p l a n k t h a t Ghosh is r e p o r t e d t o have a t tempted t o get t h e CPI t o a d o p t . During a C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee m e e t i n g held from 1 t o 17 September a t which a 1 d r a f t E l e c t i o n M a n i f e s t o was p r e p a r e d , a p l a n k on t h e b o r d e r i s s u e w a s drawn up, r e p o r t e d l y by Ghosh p e r s o n a l l y , which was s a i d t o have condemned C h i n a as a n a g g r e s s o r , t o have s t r o n g l y s u p p o r t e d t h e I n d i a n p o s i t i o n on t h e b o r d e r , and t o have s p e c i f i c a l l y commended t h e I n d i a n government s t u d y team f o r its rep o r t which "proved" t h e c o r r e c t n e s s of t h e I n d i a n s t a n d .

157

,'

I . .

.,

-m

--

However, when d u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g week Ghosh a t t e m p t e d t o g e t t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l t o approve t h i s p l a n k , it was found t h a t t h e e x p e c t e d r i g h t i s t margin i n t h e C o u n c i l had d i s a p p e a r e d , presumably p a r t l y because l e s s t h a n h a l f t h e C o u n c i l members were a c t u a l l y p r e s e n t , and p a r t l y b e c a u s e some who were w i l l i n g t o s u p p o r t moderate m e a s u r e s on domest i c C P I p o l i c y were n o t w i l l i n g t o back a n open condemnation of t h e C h i n e s e . Three amendments t o t h e p l a n k were offered, one s t r e n g t h e n i n g it, one l e a v i n g it e s s e n t i a l l y unchanged, and a t h i r d , from Ranadive, d e n y i n g a l l s u p p o r t t o t h e I n d i a n p o s i t i o n . D u r i n g a c r i m o n i o u s d e b a t e Ranadive charged. t h a t Ghosh w a s r e n e g i n g on a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g reached a t t h e C P I Congress not t o d i s c u s s t h i s i s s u e , Sundarayya and Basavapunn i a h thkeateried t o l e a v e t h e meeting, and Sundarayya and Konar each warned t h a t t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n s in Andhra madesh and West Bengal wouldjnot be bound by t h e p l a n k if a d o p t e d . When t h e Ghosh CEC p l a n k was s u b m i t t e d ko a v o t e , it w a s d e f e a t e d , 25-22. The issue w a s f i n a l l y p u t off by i n s t r u c t i n g Ghosh t o amend t h e d r a f t i n t h e l i g h t of t h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l d i s c u s s i o n ; and as a r e s u l t of n e g o t i a t i o n s between t h e f a c t i o n s Bhupesh G u p t a f i n a l l y p r e p a r e d t h e compromise v e r s i o n t h a t w a s f i n a l l y i n c l u d e d i n t h e M a n i f e s t o released t o t h e press on 1 2 O c t o b e r . Despite p r e s s reports to t h e c o n t r a r y , t h i s v e r s i o n was n o t any advance on p r e v i o u s CPI p o s i t i o n s - . E x a c t l y l i k e t h e February 1961 N a t i o n a l Counc i l r e s o l u t i o n , it affirmed t h e MacMahon l i n e i n t h e east and an u n s p e c i f i e d " t r a d i t i o n a l f r o n t i e r " i n t h e west, supp o r t e d I n d i a ' s t i t l e t o a l l of Kashmir (and therefore i m p l i c i t l y h e r excliwive r i g h t t o n e g o t i a t e w i t h t h e CPR for Ladakh), and called f o r a p o l i t i c a l s e t t l e m e n t . Even t h i s much, howe v e r , d i d n o t p l e a s e t h e l e f t i s t s , who had wished t h e CPI t o c o n t i n u e t o m a i n t a i n t h e p a r t y ' s congress' p o l i c y of s i l e n c e on t h i s i s s u e . The CCP was d u l y informed by t h e l e f t i s t s of t h e d e t a i l s of t h e s t r u g g l e o v e r Ghosh's p l a n k , as w e l l as of t h e f a c t t h a t Kuusinen had encouraged Ghosh t o . w r i t e t h a t
plank.
O t h e r w i s e , t h e N a t i o n a l Council meeting was c h i e f l y n o t able f o r its r e j e c t i o n of t h e l e f t i s t a t t i t u d e on e l e c t o r a l a l l i a n c e s . In areas where no Communist c a n d i d a t e was t o be o f f e r e d , t h e C o u n c i l r e p o r t e d l y approved b o t h t h e c o n c l u s i o n of a l l i a n c e s w i t h t h e P r a j a S o c i a l i s t P a r t y f o r t h e defeat of r e a c t i o n a r y Congress c a n d i d a t e s , and s u p p o r t f o r " a c c e p t a b l e , p r o g r e s s i v e " Congress c a n d i d a t e s t o d e f e a t t h e nominees of

158

extreme r i g h t - w i n g p a r t i e s .

Both of these t a c t i c a l m e a s u r e s had been and c o n t i n u e d t o be rejected by t h e West Bengal party organization.
The 22nd CPSU Congress and

E.

Its A f t e r m a t h -

Suslov a t t h e CPI Congress i n A p r i l had r e p o r t e d l y a g a i n r e q u e s t e d t h a t t h e CPI s e n d a "balanced" d e l e g a t i o n of l e f t ists and r i g h t i s t s t o t h e CPSU Congress i n O c t o b e r . T h i s req u e s t w a s f u l f i l l e d ; i n a d d i t i o n t o h i m s e l f , Ahmad, and t h e Maharashtraile&& S a r d e s a i - - t h r e e moderates--the d e l e g a t i o n i n c l u d e d Promode Das Gupta, t h e West Bengal leader, and from one t o three l o w e r - l e v e l f i g u r e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t b e l e f t i s t The CPI d e l e g a t i o n w i t n e s s e d t h e .tumul.tuous e v e n t s fact ion. of t h e c o n g r e s s , and heard Ghosh address t h e c o n g r e s s on 21 October. During o r s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e c o n g r e s s Ghosh appears t o have had p r i v a t e d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h Khrushchev and Mikoyan ( d u r i n g one of which t h e o t h e r m e m b e r s of t h e d e l e g a t i o n may have been p r e s e n t ) ; and e a r l y i n November, after t h e c l o s e of t h e c o n g r e s s , a l l m e m b e r s of t h e d e l e g a t i o n e x c e p t Ghosh went on a t o u r of t h e S o v i e t p r o v i n c e s , w h i l e Ghosh remained i n Moscow t o c o n f e r w i t h S u s l o v . I t a l s o seems r e a s o n a b l e t o e x p e c t t h a t some members of t h e delegation--most n o t a b l y D a s Gupta, t h e l e f t i s t leader*-would have m e t w i t h members of t h e CCP d e l e g a t i o n d u r i n g t h e c o n g r e s s , and one r e p o r t of u n c e r t a i n r e l i a b i l i t y p u r p o r t e d t o g i v e d e t a i l s of s u c h a c o n v e r s a t i o n between Chou and t h e CPI l e f t i s t s , i n which Chou attacked Khrushchev's a c t i o n s and p o l i c i e s a l o n g f a m i l i a r C h i n e s e l i n e s .

* A seven-man d e l e g a t i o n w a s supposed t o go t o Moscow, b u t it is n o t c e r t a i n t h a t two of t h e l e s s e r CPI d e l e g a t e s a c t u a l l y went.

**On 24 September, Ranadive had r e p o r t e d l y s e n t a n i n t e r m e d i a r y t o t h e C h i n e s e E m b a s s y i n New D e l h i t o emphasize t o t h e CCP t h a t D n s G u p t a was a r e l i a b l e member of t h e l e f t i s t f a c t i o n and s h o u l d be t a k e n i n t o c o n f i d e n c e by t h e C h i n e s e a t t h e 22nd CPSU C o n g r e s s .

. T h e r e is l i t t l e d o u b t t h a t t h e CPI d e l e g a t i o n , and Ghosh p e r s o n a l l y , were p r o f o u n d l y d i s t u r b e d by t h e v i o l e n t a s s a u l t u n l e a s h e d on t h e Albanian l e a d e r s a t t h e c o n g r e s s in what w a s t o p r o v e t h e o p e n i n g s t e p i n a campaign t o f o r c e P e i p i n g t o r e l i n q u i s h s u p p o r t of A l b a n i a and t h e r e b y undermine its own c h a l l e n g e t o CPSU a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l Communist movement. Ghosh w e l l knew t h e r e a c t i o n t h i s would evoke from t h e l e f t - f a c t i g n s t r o n g h o l d s of t h e C P I , and he may have s u r mised t h a t Chou E n - l a i ' s c h a r g e t h a t t h e CPSU a c t i o n w a s a n un-Marxist way t o t r y t o r e s o l v e d i f f e r e n c e s between Communist p a r t i e s might receive sympathy even i n s e c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y n o r m a l l y l o y a l t o t h e CPSU. I n view of h i s s u b s e q u e n t s t a t e m e n t s , Ghosh may e v e n have f e l t t h i s way h i m s e l f , a l t h o u g h h e c e r t a i n l y h e l d no b r i e f f o r t h e b a S i c views of t h e A l b a n i a n s or t h e Chinese; i n any case, h i s p r i m a r y c o n c e r n was t o p r e s e r v e h i s own p o s i t i o n and if a t a l l p o s s i b l e t o p r e v e n t t h e p u b l i c f a c a d e of C P I u n i t y f r o m b e i n g d e s t r o y e d o n , t h e e v e of a n a t i o n a l e l e c t i o n . I n h i s s p e e c h t o t h e CPSU Congress Ghosh t h e r e f o r e r e f r a i n e d f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g from j o i n i n g i n t h e a t t a c k o n t h e Albanian l e a d e r s h i p ; i n t h i s e v a s i o n h e was j o i n e d a t t h e c o n g r e s s by a number of o t h e r l e a d e r s o f non-bloc Communist p a r t i e s who i n t h e p a s t had demonstrated a t p r i v a t e i n t e r p a r t y m e e t i n g s s t a u n c h l o y a l t y t o t h e CPSU and h o s t i l i t y t o t h e CCP. T h i s was n o t a l l , however: even worse, from Ghosh's p o i n t of view, w a s t h e e q u a l l y v i o l e n t attack a t t h e CPSU Congress upon S t a l i n . T h i s a t t a c k p l a c e d upon t h e p u b l i c record and even e l a b o r a t e d t h e d e n u n c i a t i o n s of S t a l i n ' s crimes--and t h e r e v e l a t i o n s of t h e r e a l i t i e s o f S o v i e t l i f e under h i s regime--that had p r e v i o u s l y been recorded o n l y i n Khrushchev's 1956 s e c r e t s p e e c h (which, w h i l e p u b l i s h e d by t h e West, d i d n o t have q u i t e t h e same s t a n d i n g with non-bloc p a e t y members as a d i r e c t , p u b l i c avowal of t h e f a c t s by t h e CPSU) Ghosh c o u l d n o t forget t h e s t a g g e r i n g and l a s t i n g e f f e c t upon CPI morale and d i s c i p l i n e wrought by t h e - f i r s t g r e a t d e n i g r a t i o n of S t a l i n ; Namboodiripad i n h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r e p o r t t o t h e A p r i l 1961 C P I Congress had declared t h e p r e s e n t c h a o s in t h e p a r t y i n l a r g e p a r t a t t r i b u t a b l e t o t h a t e v e n t . Ghosh knew t h a t d e s p i t e t h e 1956 move a g a i n s t S t a l i n , t h e l a t t e r ' s memory was s t i l l r e v e r e d by many members of a l l f a c t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n p a r t y . The CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y a l s o knew t h a t h i s own p o s i t i o n was i n l a r g e p a r t dependent upon t h a t CPI r a n k - a n d - f i l e f a i t h in t h e h a p p i n e s s of l i f e i n t h e USSR and

. .

160

I . I

. ..

..

,.

. . .

'

t h e e t e r n a l wisdom of t h e CPSU which Xhrushchev was b u s i l y d e m o l i s h i n g . F o r a l l t h e s e r e a s o n s , it is c r e d i b l e t h a t , as r e p o r t e d , Ghosh i n h i s p r i v a t e t a l k w i t h S u s l o v "had a s e r i o u s d i s c u s s i o n o v e r t h e d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n i s s u e " and p r o t e s t e d a g a i n s t t h e CPSU d e c i s i o n t o remove S t a l l n ' s body from h i s tomb. (Ghosh, i n f a c t , p u b l i c l y c o n f i r m e d this i n New Age on 10 December.) I t was a l s o r e p o r t e d t h a t when d u r i n g - e x n gress t h e e n t i r e CPI d e l e g a t i o n m e t w i t h Khrushchev, t h i s iss u e was also r a i s e d ; one d e l e g a t e w a s s a i d t o have commented t h a t S t a l i n w a s still h i g h l y regarded o u t s i d e t h e USSR, and ghrushchev r e p o r t e d l y r e p l i e d t h a t t h i s w a s an i s s u e w h i c h - t h e i n d i v i d u a l p a r t i e s must h a n d l e as t h e y see f i t .
I

When Ghosh and t h e others r e t u r n e d t o I n d i a i n t h e first week of November, t h e y found t h e p a r t y already i n t u r m o i l . During t h e 1-5 November m e e t i n g of t h e Andhra P r a d e s h prov i n c i a l p a r t y c o u n c i l , a complete s p l i t had d e v e l o p e d , w i t h t h e r i g h t i s t s s u p p o r t i n g Khrushchev's a c t i o n and c a l l i n g S t a l i n a l l s a d i s t l l and llfascist, and t h e l e f t i s t s denouncing ghrushchev and s a y i n g t h a t he s h o u l d be " s h o t dead." The p r o v i n c i a l c o u n c i l f i n a l l y narrowly passed a l e f t i s t - s p o n s o r e d r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g t h e CPSU and Khrushchev--the second t i m e s u c h a r e s o l u t i o n w a s passed w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y , t h e first h a v i n g been t h e West Bengal s t a t e m e n t of O c t o b e r 1960.* ,The r e s o l u t i o n condemned b o t h t h e S o v i e t p u b l i c a t t a c k on Albania (as a regrettable v i o l a t i o n of t h e p r i n c i p l e s governi n g t h e s e t t l e m e n t of s u c h d i s p u t e s ) and t h e new attack on S t a l i n (as improper, d i s g r a c e f u l and t r a g i c treatment o f a still-respected f i g u r e ) Though t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s n o t made p u b l i c , f o u r m e m b e r s of t h e Andhra p a r t y Council are r e p o r t e d t o have cabled Xhrushchev condemning h i s " v i n d i c t i v e " a c t i o n . A number of p a r t y a g e n c i e s and d i s t r i c t committees of t h e West Bengal p a r t y meanwhile wrote t o p a r t y headquarters cang c e l l i n g t h e i r s u b s c r i p t i o n s t o New A e i n p r o t e s t a g a i n s t t h e r e p o r t s of S o v i e t a t t a c k s on S t z n w h i c h t h e c e n t r a l C P I publ i c a t i o n w a s c a r r y i n g . West Bengal leaders i n mid-November were p r i v a t e l y commenting t h a t t h e S o v i e t "open and v i t u p e r a t i v e d e n u n c i a t i o n " of A l b a n i a had " c e r t a i n l y v i o l a t e d t h e 81P a r t y Conference code of conduct between two sister p a r t i e s , " and t h a t " t h e treatment of A l b a n i a w a s l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t from t h e conduct o f a c o l o n i a l power." C a l c u t t a d i s t r i c t p a r t y leaders were r e p o r t e d q u o t i n g NCNA releases i n d i c a t i n g C h i n e s e

* S u b s e q u e n t l y , an unconfirmed Yugoslav press r e p o r t on 1 0 J a n u a r y 1962 claimed t h a t t h e secretariat o f t h e West Bengal p a r t y had a l s o a d o p t e d a r e s o l u t i o n denouncing t h e S o v i e t a t tack on A l b a n i a a t t h e 22nd Congress. 161

..

.
. a

I , ., ..... . . .

; ,

'

....

..

s u p p o r t f o r Albania. In Kerala, t h e p a r t y o r g a n J a n a Yugam on 31 October s a i d t h a t it was t r a g i c t h a t t h e ba'E against S t a l i n i s m had d e g e n e r a t e d i n t o an attack on h i s body, and one Kerala l e a d e r asked f o r t h e body t o be s e n t t o t h e Kerala p a r t y . Namboodiripad on 3 November r e p o r t e d l y p r a i s e d S t a l i n and h i s w o r k i n a press c o n f e r e n c e . M e m b e r s of t h e secretariat of one CPI d i s t r i c t committee i n Maharashtra p u b l i s h e d an open l e t t e r t o Khrushchev u r g i n g him t o " r e c o n s i d e r t h e p r o p r i e t y " of t h e d e c i s i o n t o move S t a l i n ' s body, and a s k i n g ( l i k e Hoxha) whether Khrushchev's a c t i o n s a g a i n s t h i s r i v a l s w a s not b u i l d i n g up a c o n c e n t r a t i o n of h i s own power and a c u l t of h i s own p e r s o n a l i t y . Communists i n t h e Tamilnad c i t y of Madurai carr i e d p i c t u r e s o f S t a l i n i n a p r o c e s s i o n of 18 November. The turmoil was e q u a l l y great among s e c t i o n s of t h e p a r t y which a c c e p t e d t h e a c c u s a t i o n s a g a i n s t S t a l i n : i n e a r l y November, a g e n e r a l m e e t i n g of t h e Bombay C i t y p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n was reported t o have been broken up by w i l d h e c k l i n g from t h e radsa n d - f i l e , who s h o u t e d demands t o t h e Bombay leaders t o e x p l a i n what t h e y had been d o i n g w h i l e S t a l i n was committing h i s crimes.
I

!
I
~

I
I

Much o f t h i s was d i s c u s s e d a t a meeting of t h e CPI's Cent r a l E x e c u t i v e Committee i n e a r l y November which heard Ghosh r e p o r t on t h e CPSU Congress e v e n t s b u t t o o k no a c t i o n . In mid-November Sundarayya, D a s G u p t a , Namboodiripad, and s e v e r a l of t h e l e f t i s t - d o m i n a t e d p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s w e r e r e p o r t ed demanding a m e e t i n g of t h e N a t i o n a l Council t o d i s c u s s t h e CPI p o s i t i o n on S t a l i n and A l b a n i a ; b u t Ghosh was opposed, because he knew t h a t any s u c h m e e t i n g would be d i s a s t r o u s f o r t h e p a r t y on t h e e v e of t h e . e l e c t i o n s . H e i n s t e a d p r e f e r r e d t o p o s t p o n e t h e m e e t i n g u n t i l a f t e r t h e e l e c t i o n s ; t h e members of t h e N a t i o n a l Council were p o l l e d , and it w a s r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e y agreed w i t h h i m . Basavapunniah t h e r e u p o n commented t h a t Ghosh w a s h i d i n g behind t h e e l e c t i o n s t o p r e v e n t t h e p a r t y from m e e t i n g t o decide t h e i s s u e , and t h a t t h e i n t e r n a l cont r o v e r s y would c o n t i n u e t o r i s e n e v e r t h e l e s s . F i n a l l y , Ghosh s p o k e o u t h i m s e l f , i n an e f f o r t t o calm t h i n g s down. On 1 0 December, he p u b l i s h e d an a r t i c l e i n New A e i n which he deferred t o a l a t e r meeting of t h e N a t i o n a l g C o u n c i l any e v a l u a t i o n of t h e 22 Congress' a t t a c k on A l b a n i a "as w e l l as t h e comment made by Chou E n - l a i on t h e p r o p r i e t y of making s u c h open c r i t i c i s m . " A t t h e same t i m e , he f i n a l l y went o n r e c o r d w i t h q u a l i f i e d s u p p o r t f o r Moscow a g a i n s t A l b a n i a by m i l d l y condemning Albanian attacks on S o v i e t f o r e i g n p o l i c y and on t h e 2 0 t h Congress d e c i s i o n s a s "not i n c o n f o r m i t y "

162 . . .. . .
, L

1
I

. .... . . . .

' ,

....

-...

w i t h t h e 1960 Moscow Declaration.* (Ghosh's a n x i e t y a b o u t t h e e f f e c t of t h e Sino-Albanian-Soviet s t r u g g l e upon t h e CPI, howe v e r , was made m a n i f e s t when he t o l d a 16 December p r e s s conf e r e n c e t h a t "these d i f f e r e n c e s s h o u l d be i r o n e d o u t by negot i a t i o n s and d i s c u s s i o n s as agreed t o a t t h e m e e t i n g of Communist p a r t i e s i n Moscow l a s t pear"--a s t a t e m e n t s u g g e s t i n g t h a t Ghosh p r i v a t e l y agreed w i t h Chou E n - l a i ' s p o i n t .)

..
.. ..

- '

In h i s 10 December N e w Age a r t i c l e , Ghosh a t t e m p t e d to combat d i s a l l u s i o n m e n t w m the S o v i e t p a r t y w i t h a l e n g t h y t r i b u t e t o t h e accomplishments of t h e S o v i e t Union, t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h e new CPSU program, apd t h e r o l e of t h e CPSU as t h e "vanguard of t h e world Communi'st movement." A t t h e same time, he s t a t e d ' t h a t a " b i g m a j o r i t y " of CPI members had been "deeply h u r t " by t h e d e c i s i o n t o move S t a l i n ' s body, h e i n s i s t ed t h a t S t a l i n w a s a d i s t i n g u i s h e d M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t of extreme -mportance, and he e x p r e s s e d "deep regret" t h a t t h e s t r u g g l e
a g a i n s t S t a l i n ' s c u l t had been c a r r i e d so f a r . Moreover, Ghosh i m p l i c i t l y s i d e d w i t h t h e I t a l i a n p a r t y i n d e c l a r i n g t h a t the q u e s t i o n of how t h e e x c e s s e s o c c u r r e d and how t h e y would be p r e v e n t e d from r e c u r r i n g had n o t been p r o p e r l y answered. Ghosh added t h i s p o i n t e d w a r n i n g t h a t Khrushchev had undermined n o t o n l y S t a l i n ' s b u t t h e CPSU's a u t h o r i t y : The 2 0 t h Congress n o t merely ended t h e d e i f i c a t i o n o f S t a l i n , b u t a l s o demolished t h e b e l i e f i n t h e i n f a l l i b i l i t y of any P a r t y or any l e a d e r . T h i s w a s n e c e s sary for s u c h a b e l i e f is c o n t r a r y t o t h e v e r y s p i r i t of Marxism-Leninism. ** (Emphasis added) Ghosh c o r x l u d e d by a d m i t t i n g t h a t even CPI m e m b e r s were "dumbfounded and demoralized" by these e v e n t s , by begging p a r t y m e m b e r s t o keep s i l e n t , and be d e c l a r i n g t h a t it was imposs'ible
*A number of o t h e r non-bloc Communist p a r t i e s whose r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s d i d n o t a t t a c k A l b a n i a a t t h e CPSU Congress n e v e r t h e l e s s went on record a g a i n s t t h e Albanians s u b s e q u e n t l y ; it is l i k e l y t h a t t h i s b e l a t e d c o n f o r m i t y (which has s t i l l n o t e x t e n d e d even t o a l l European p a r t i e s ) was evoked by s u b s e q u e n t CPSU p r e s s u r e , and it is p o s s i b l e t h a t s u c h p r e s s u r e was app l i e d also t o Ghosh.

...

'.

..

**Khrushchev s u b s e q u e n t l y conceded, i n a n o t h e r c o n t e x t , t h a t he p e r s o n a l l y w a s n o t i n f a l l i b l e .

..

.'

t o h o l d a N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l meeting t o d i s c u s s r e c e n t developments u n t i l a f t e r t h e a p p r o a c h i n g e l e c t i o n s .
Sino-Soviet P o l i c y on I n d i a and t h e R e t u r n of t h e Border D i s p u t e : By t h e t i m e Ghosh wrote t h e New Age a r t i c l e c i t e d , however, a n o t h e r f a c t o r had a r i s e n t o exacerbate g r e a t l y relat i o n s between t h e CPI f a c t i o n s and between Moscow and P e i p i n g : a r e v i v a l of t h e b o r d e r d i s p u t e . During t h e l a t t e r h a l f of 1961, t h e S o v i e t and C h i n e s e a t t i t u d e s toward t h e Nehru government had c o n t i n u e d t o move f u r t h e r a l o n g t h e l i n e s e a c h had marked o u t . The USSR maint a i n e d a p o l i c y of economic a s s i s t a n c e t o I n d i a and c o n t i n u e d t o d e p i c t Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y as g e n e r a l l y p r o g r e s s i v e , w h i l e s i m u l t a n e o u s l y s u s t a i n i n g discreet p r e s s u r e upon t h e I n d i a n government t o bend toward t h e S o v i e t view on s p e c i f i c t o p i c a l i s s u e s . I n t h e l a t t e r h a l f of t h e y e a r , t h e emphasis s h i f t e d from t h e Congo and Cuba, and t h e most i m p o r t a n t of these p r e s s u r e s were now concerned w i t h t h e S o v i e t r e s u m p t i o n of n u c l e a r t e s t i n g , Nehru's s t a n d a t t h e n e u t r a l i s t s ' conf e r e n c e , and p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e B e r l i n i s s u e . The CPI w a s rep e a t e d l y b r i e f e d by t h e CPSU on these i s s u e s i n t h e s p r i n g and summer, and m a i n t a i n e d c o n t i n u e d propaganda p r e s s u r e i n s u p p o r t of Moscow's p o s i t i o n . While Nehru's a c t i o n s and s t a t e ments- in each of these m a t t e r s was f a r f r o m wholly s a t i s f a c t o r y t o Moscow, t h e USSR did n o t a t any t i m e r e p e a t its earlier d i r e c t c r i t i c i s m of t h e I n d i a n government. Meanwhile, a s u b s i d i a r y campaign which t h e S o v i e t Union had been a c t i v e l y promoting for a l o n g time--both d i r e c t l y and t h r o u g h t h e CPI-t o i n d u c e Nehru t o take armed a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e P o r t u g u e s e e n c l a v e o f Goa f i n a l l y b o r e f r u i t i n December, w i t h a number of g r a t i f y i n g consequences: it forced t h e United S t a t e s and B r i t a i n t o t a k e s t a n d s p u b l i c l y condemning I n d i a ; it promoted disharmony between P o r t u g a l and t h e o t h e r NATO a l l i e s ; it d i s t r a c t e d some I n d i a n p u b l i c a t t e n t i o n and anger f r o m t h e C h i n e s e border d i s p u t e ; it e n a b l e d t h e C P I t o w e a r t h e cloak o f I n d i a n n a t i o n a l i s m it had been unable t o assume on t h e Chinese border issue; and it b o l s t e r e d t h e s t o c k of t h e unpopul-ar b u t p r o - S o v i e t I n d i a n d e f e n s e m i n i s t e r , K r i s h n a Menon, who w a s r e p o r t e d i n t r o u b l e i n h i s campaign f o r r e - e l e c t i o n to P a r l i a m e n t from Bombay.
Aside from t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e Sino-Indian border, there w a s o n l y one aspect of S o v i e t p o l i c y toward t h e non-Communist world d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d which caused any i n t e r n a l d i f f i c u l t i e s f o r t h e CPI: t h e d e c i s i o n t o resume n u c l e a r t e s t i n g . T h i s d e c i s i o n caused t h e I n d i a n p a r t y some embarrassment i n t h e e l e c t i o n campaign b e c a u s e of its e a r l i e r v i g o r o u s campaigns a g a i n s t American t e s t i n g ; it also evoked some d i s a r r a y on t h e f r i n g e s of t h e p a r t y , among f e l l o w - t r a v e l l e r s and extreme

-*

'.
I ,

1
. .

m t i j

164

r i g h t - w i n g p a r t y members. Thus t h e I n d i a n b r a n c h of t h e AfroAsian S o l i d a r i t y Committee r e p o r t e d l y a d o p t e d a r e s o l u t i o n e x p r e s s i n g regret a t t h e S o v i e t d e c i s i o n , an a b o r t i v e a t t e m p t was s a i d t o have been made i n t h e A l l - I n d i a Peace C o u n c i l t o do t h e same, and two r i g h t i s t CPI l e a d e r s i n Kerala made publ i c s t a t e m e n t s o p p o s i n g t h e USSR's a c t i o n . On t h e whole, howe v e r , t h e i n t e r n a l CPI t r o u b l e s o v e r t h i s i s s u e were s o minor as t o be t o t a l l y o b s c u r e d by t h e v i o l e n t d i s t u r b a n c e s which shook t h e p a r t y i n November and D e c e m b e r o v e r o t h e r i s s u e s . P e i p i n g i n t h e l a t t e r h a l f of 1 9 6 1 m a i n t a i n e d its v i t r i o l i c l i n e toward Nehru, c o n t i n u i n g i n its propaganda t o b u i l d up a p i c t u r e of him as R f a i t h f u l s e r v a n t of American i m p e r i a l i s m and enemy of b o t h P e i p i n g and Moscow. To m a i n t a i n t h i s s i n g l e hued p o r t r a i t , C h i n e s e propaganda c o n t i n u e d t o make e x t r e m e l y t e n d e n t i o u s s e l e c t i o n s f r o m Nehru's s t a t e m e n t s , going t o extravagant l e n g t h s i n t h i s regard i n connection w i t h t h e n e u t r a l i s t c o n f e r e n c e and Nehru's remarks on t h e B e r l i n iss u e . On t h e I n d i a n s i d e , g e n e r a l r e l a t i o n s w i t h P e i p i n g cont i n u e d t o worsen, w i t h t h e I n d i a n government t a k i n g s t e p s t o round up and e x p e l more Chinese from C a l c u t t a and t o d i s courage a l l a c t i v i t i e s of t h e India-China F r i e n d s h i p S o c i e t y .
1

In t h e meantime, t h e border issue a g a i n became i n f l a m e d , w i t h P e i p i n g and Ne w D e l h i a g a i n exchanging c h a r g e s of f r e s h

b o r d e r i n c u r s i o n s i n a s e r i e s of n o t e s i n t h e summer and f a l l . On 20 November, Nehru b r o u g h t t h e s e matters t o p u b l i c a t t e n t i o n b e f o r e t h e I n d i a n P a r l i a m e n t , t h e r e b y s e t t i n g i n motion new v i o l e n t d e n u n c i a t i o n s of t h e CPR bv t h e I n d i a n and Western Peiping believed naa Deen p e r s u a d e d t o t a k e t h i s a c t i o n by P r e s i d e n t Kennedy d u r i n g t h e I n d i a n Prime M i n i s t e r ' s November v i s i t t o t h e United S t a t e s ; indeed, Peiping subsequently p u b l i c l y said as much. The Chinese Communist regjme may a l s o have b e l i e v e d t h a t d e s p i t e I n d i a ' s pub1 i c s u p p o r t f o r P e i p i n g ' s a d m i s s i o n to t h e United N a t i o n s , N e h r u ' s s t a t e m e n t was timed t o h e l p t h e United S t a t e s b l o c k t h i s a c t i o n by i n f l u e n c i n g h e s i t a n t neut r a l s against Peiping.

Already angered by t h i s a c t i o n of N e h r u ' s , P e i p i n g was i n f u r i a t e d when on 2 1 November, t h e d a y a f t e r Wehru's s t a t e m e n t , Ajoy Ghosh i s s u e d a p u b l i c s t a t e m e n t o n h i s own i n i t i a t i v e as CPI g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y s t r o n g l y c r i t i c i z i n g t h e CPR. Ghosh e x p r e s s e d " s u r p r i s e and regret" a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n d i s c l o s e d by t h e I n d i a n government, i m p l i c i t l y a c c e p t i n g t h e I n d i a n v e r s i o n as beyond q u e s t i o n . He declared t h a t t h e Chinese a c t i o n s c o u l d n o t b u t h e i g h t e n t e n s i o n and e m b i t t e r r e l a t i o n s between

...

t h e , t w o c o u n t r i e s , and "demanded" t h a t t h e CPR government p u t a n end to s u c h a c t i o n s and t a k e measures t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e y would n o t r e c u r .

I t is l i k e l y , i n view of P e i p i n g ' s r e a c t i o n , t h a t t h e CCP concluded t h a t Ghosh had been i n c i t e d t o make t h i s s t a t e m e n t by t h e CPSU--particularly i n t h e c o n t e x t of t h e i n c r e a s i n g l y open propaganda and o r g a n i z a t i o n a l b a t t l e t h a t w a s s i m u l t a n e o u s l y d e v e l o p i n g between t h e Sovbet-led p a r t i e s and t h e ChineseAlbanian bloc. A CPI l e f t i s t member of t h e d e l e g a t i o n t o t h e CPSU c o n g r e s s s u b s e q u e n t l y claimed t h a t t h e Chinese d e l e g a t i o n t o t h a t c o n g r e s s had briefed t h e CPI a t t h e time on t h e C h i n e s e v e r s i o n tSf t h e c u r r e n t b o r d e r c o n t r o v e r s y ; and a f a i r l y r e l i a b l e s o u r c e r e p o r t s s t a t e m e n t s by t h e Maharashtra leader Sardesai, a n o t h e r CPI r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a t t h e S o v i e t c o n g r e s s , a l l e g i n g t h a t Khrushchev t o l d t h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o n t h a t Nehru, as a " p a t r i o t i c l e a d e r , " was bound t o resist a g g r e s s i o n , and t h a t t h e CPI s h o u l d take a " p r a c t i c a l ' ' a t t i t u d e toward t h i s problem. Although t h i s e v i d e n c e is n o t c o n c l u s i v e , it does seem p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e CPSU w a s a l s o aware i n October of t h e S i n o - l n d i a h exchange of n o t e s , c o n s i d e r e d it possible t h a t t h i s would lead t o p u b l i c p o l e m i c s , and a u t h o r i z e d Ghosh t o take s u c h a c t i o n as he saw f i t i f t h i s happened.*

I
. '

i
I

After w a i t i n g two weeks; P e i p i n g i n e a r l y December publ i s h e d t h e t e x t s of t h e n o t e s it had exchanged w i t h New D e l h i , . f o l l o w e d by a f e r o c i o u s P e o p l e ' s Daily e d i t o r i a l denouncing t h e " a n t i-Chinese campaign launchNehru i n I n d i a . I t In t h i s e d i t o r i a l , P e i p i n g summed u p a l l its e f f o r t s of t h e p a s t
y e a r t o i n d i c t Nehru as an enemy of p r o g r e s s i v e mankind, and charged t h a t he had i n i t i a t e d h i s "ant i-Chinese campaign" a t American i n s t i g a t i o n t o h u r t t h e bl'oc, as w e l l as t o b o l s t e r what P e i p i n g d e p i c t e d as t h e sagging c h a n c e s of t h e Congress p a r t y i n t h e coming I n d i a n e l e c t i o n s . In addition, i n t h i s e d i t o r i a l t h e CCP f i n a l l y gave v e n t p u b l i c l y t o its l o n g - h e l d f e e l i n g s about Ghosh, a t t a c k i n g him for having " t r a i l e d beh i n d Wehru and h u r r i e d l l i s s u e d a s t a t e m e n t i n condemnat ioil of C h i n a . . . w i t h o u t b o t h e r i n g t o f i n d o u t the truth o r t o look i n t o t h e r i g h t s and wrongs of the case."
* I t is p a r t i c u l a r l y c r e d i b l e t h a t the CPSU gave Gho:jh suci: c o u t i n g e n c y a u t h o r i z n t ion because t h i s is e x a c t l y what had happened i n O c t o i x r 195'3, when t h e C D I macle its s t r o n g c s t ?re-. v i o u s c r i t i c i s m ox" P e i p i n g i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e Ladaki; isc i d e n t s . (See pages 71-72.)

'. .

1
, .
I

.. ,

'

. ... ..
,

..._. .. .

;'.

T h i s u n p r e c e d e n t e d CCP a t t a c k upon Ghosh w a s a l s o n e c e s s a r i l y b o t h an i n d i r e c t s l a p a t t h e CPSU and a Chinese a c t i o n i s u p p o r t o f t h e l e f t i s t CPI f a c t i o n and i n condemnation o f n t h e r i g h t i s t f a c t i o n . It s e r v e d t o f u r t h e r i n c r e a s e t h e tens i o n between t h e o p p o s i n g g r o u p s w i t h i n t h e p a r t y . The West Bengal p a r t y secretariat was a l r e a d y r e p o r t e d t o have banned f r o m its d i s t r i b u t i o n s y s t e m t h e 26 November i s s u e of New A e g which c o n t a i n e d Ghosh's a t t a c k on P e i p i n g ; and Bhupesh-pw w a s s a i d t o have conveyed an u l t i m a t u m from t h e West Bengal p a r t y t o Ghosh t h a t c i r c u l a t i o n of N e w A e would be h a l t e d g ' c o m p l e t e l y i n t h a t p r o v i n c e if s u c h s t a t e m e n t s c o n t i n u e d . Other. l e f t i s t s meanwhile avowed t h e i r i n t e n t i o n t o c o n t r a d i c t . . G h o s h i f t h e y were q u e s t i o n e d d u r i n g t h e e l e c t i o n campaign about Ghosh's s t a t e m e n t . * The West Bengal p a r t y o r g a n Swadhinata d i d i n f a c t p u b l i s h a r t i c l e s s t r o n g l y a t t a c k i n g Nehru along t h e l i n e s P e i p i n g had t a k e n , and as i n t h e p a s t , these a r t i cles were p i c k e d up by NCNA and P e o p l e ' g D a i l y . As one consequence of t h i s S w a d h i n a t a l i n e , an infoEG%Xon o f f i c i a l of t h e S o v i e t embassy w a s r e p o r t e d t o have r e f u s e d an i n t e r v i e w t o a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e p a p e r ; e a r l i e r , West Bengal leaders had p r i v a t e l y c h a r g e d t h a t t h e USSR had c a n c e l l e d promised v i s i t s by Major T i t o v and P a u l Robeson t o a "peace f e s t i v a l ? ' s p o n s o r e d by t h e West Bengal p a r t y i n e a r l y November b e c a u s e ' . of t h e stand of t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n .

--

. broader
'

The Peiping-Nehru p o l e m i c was soon i n t e r m e s h e d w i t h t h e Sino-Soviet b a t t l e g o i n g on c o n c k r r e n t l y , w i t h A l b a n i a a m p l i f y i n g P e i p i n g ' s d e n u n c i a t i o n s of t h e I n d i a n leader, and o t h e r E a s t European s t a t e s , l i k e t h e USSR, r e f u s i n g t o d o so. Even b e f o r e t h e 7 December P e o p l e ' s D a i l y e d i t o r i a l had been p u b l i s h e d , Moscow's a l a r m a t t h e w h o n e n d of e v e n t s w a s made a p p a r e n t when on 2 December TASS announced t h a t an i n v i . t a t i o n e x t e n d e d t o Brezhnev d u r i n g t h e summer t o V i s i t I n d i a a t an o p p o r t u n e t i m e was now b e i n g a c c e p t e d , and t h a t Brezhnev w a s t o a r r i v e w i t h i n two weeks. When Brezhnev a r r i v e d on t h i s emergency j o u r n e y , h e was accompanied by a d e p u t y chairman of t h e USSR's S t a t e Commission f o r F o r e i g n Economic R e l a t i o n s , and it appeared l i e k l y t h a t t h e S o v i e t p o l i c y of s u p p o r t and economic h e l p f o r t h e Nehru government w a s t o be e m p h a t i c a l l y reaffirmed. By mid-December, Ghosh had backed o f f v e r y s l i g h t l y from his extreme a n t i - C h i n e s e p o s i t i o n , t e l l i n g a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e t h a t some p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s wished t o m a k e c a p i t a l o f t h e Sino. *The West Bengal secretariat r e s o l u t i o n r e p o r t e d by t h e Yugoslav p r e s s in J a n u a r y 1962 is s a i d t o have f o r m a l l y aff i r m e d t h a t Ghosh's a n t i - C h i n e s e s t a t e m e n t r e p r e s e n t e d " t h e a t t i t u d e of p a r t of the p a r t y o n l y . ' '

j
I

167

. .

-< CRJRFMWU

t.+-

t.*:

I n d i a n d i s p u t e , and p r a i s i n g N e h r u f o r n o t s e e k i n g war w i t h China as a means of s e t t l i n g t h e d i s p u t e . A t t h e same t i m e , he reaffirmed t h a t i f P e i p i n g i n d u l g e d i n any act of aggress i o n , I n d i a would be j u s t i f i e d i n r e p e l l i n g t h e i n t r u d e r s . O t h e r C P I r i g h t i s t s were n o t so f o r e b e a r i n g toward P e i p i n g . C e n t r a l S e c r e t a r i a t member Ahmad o n 13 December p u b l i c l y declared, i n r e s p o n s e t o a q u e s t i o n a b o u t t h e Chinese a t t a c k s on Ghosh, t h a t Ghosh c o u l d w e l l l o o k a f t e r h i m s e l f "and needs no a d v i c e from o u t s i d e as t o w h a t he s h o u l d do i n a matter w i t h which the Indian people as a whole are v i t a l l y concerned.'? Ahmad ' d i s m i s s e d as "absurd" t h e P e o p l e ' s D a i l y c o n t e n t i o n t h a t I n d i a ' s f o r e i g n p o l i c y and her attit-oward t h e CPR was d e t e r m i n e d by t h e "lure of t h e d o l l a r , " and reasserted C P I s u p p o r t f o r Nehru's f o r e i g n p o l i c y .

F.

P r o s p e c t s for t h e I n d i a n Communist P a r t y

By t h e e n d of 1961, t h e n , t h e I n d i a n Communist P a r t y had reached a p o i n t a t which t h e r i g h t wing of t h e p a r t y was o p e n l y c r i t i c i z i n g t h e CCP and was b e i n g c r i t i c i z e d by i t ; w a s s u p p o r t i n g MOSCOW g e n e r a l l y a g a i n s t A l b a n i a and China, though regret-. i n g t h e means t h a t had been used t o a t t a c k Albania; was itself shocked by and d i v i d e d o v e r t h e new a s s a u l t on S t a l i n , and was p u b l i c l y r e g r e t t i n g t h a t Khrushchev had reopened t h i s i s s u e . The l e f t wing was p u b l i s h i n g s t a t e m e n t s s u p p o r t i n g t h e Chinese l i n e on N e h r u ; was c e n s u r i n g and sometimes e v e n b o y c o t t i n g t h e c e n t r a l p a r t y o r g a n for its a n t i - C h i n e s e s t a t e m e n t s ; had adopted a t l e a s t one r e s o l u t i o n a t t a c k i n g Khrushchev and t h e CPSU; and was g e n e r a l l y u n i t e d i n o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e S o v i e t moves a g a i n s t Albania, China, and S t a l i n .

.,

. .

. '

. . . . ...' ...-... .. .. . .. .. ..

On 6 November, I n d i a n l e f t i s t members of t h e N a t i o n a l Council are s a i d t o have conferred w i t h Basavapunniah and t o have .agreed w i t h h i s judgment t h a t the C P I c o u l d no l o n g e r be held t o g e t h e r , and m u s t break u p a f t e r - t h e 1962 e l e c t i o n s . Basavapunniah w a s s a i d t o have f e l t t h a t it was o n l y t h e elect i o n s which were m a i n t a i n i n g t h e facade of 8 1 u n i t y now, and t h a t t h e o n l y t h i n g which c o u l d p u l l t h e p a r t y t o g e t h e r might be an unexpected success a t t h e p o l l s . L a t e r i n t h e month, a f t e r c o n f e r r i n g w i t h Ranadive, Basavapunniah took a s l i g h t l y less extreme p o s i t i o n , a s s e r t i n g t h a t t h e l e f t i s t s were p r e p a r i n g a document which would f o r c e the i s s u e o f t h e C P I ' s

.~.'

, . . .

. .

. . ..

'.

..:

......

,.

..

. ,

-C

Pi-;

hi-

i n t e r n a t i o n a l a l l e g i a n c e a t t h e C P 1 Congress or N a t i o n a l Coun-

c i l m e e t i n g t o be h e l d a f t e r t h e e l e c t i o n s . He added t h a t i f t h e r i g h t i s t s d i d n o t a g r e e a t least t o a p o l i c y of non-alignment w i t h e i t h e r P e i p i n g o r Moscow, t h e l e f t i s t s would i n i t i ate a s p l i t i n t h e p a r t y . A t a b o u t t h e same t i m e , S. G. S a r d e s a i , s e c r e t a r y of t h e M a r a r a s h t r h ; I r o v i n c i a l p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n and a leader of t h e r i g h t - w i n g CP:: f a c t i o n , r e p o r t e d l y warned a m e e t i n g of h i s f o l l o w e r s t o be p r e p a r e d f o r a s p l i t between t h e p r o - S o v i e t and pro-Chinese wings of t h e CPI (and of o t h e r
Communist p a r t i e s ) as a result of t h e Sino-Soviet s t r u g g l e . I n e v a l u a t i n g the r e a l i t y of t h e l e f t i s t t h r e a t t o s p l i t t h e p a r t y , i t m u s t be remembered t h a t non-alignment, i n s o f a r as i t i n v o l v e s n e u t r a l i t y on p o l i c y i s s u e s d i s p u t e d by Moscow and P e i p i n g , is s i m p l y n o t p o s s i b l e f o r t h e CPI. For example, t h e q u e s t i o n of p o l i c y toward t h e Nehru government, on which many of t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e CPSU and CCP have focussed in r e c e n t y e a r s , c a n n o t be evaded by t h e I n d i a n p a r t y ; t h e CPI m u s t l e a n e i t h e r t o one s i d e o r t h e o t h e r , s i n c e it c a n n e i t h e r a v o i d h a v i n g a p o l i c y toward Nehru n o r r e c o n c i l e t h e incomp a t i b l e p o l i c i e s of t h e Chinese and S o v i e t l e a d e r s h i p s . Simil a r l y , t h e q u e s t i o n s of whether o r n o t t o c o n t i n u e t o s e e k power t h r o u g h p a r l i a m e n t a r y e l e c t i o n s , of whether t o seek t o draw t h e n a t i o n a l b o u r g e o i s i e i n t o an a l l i a n c e , c a n n o t be i n d e f i n i t e l y evaded i n f a c t a l t h o u g h t h e y c a n be b l u r r e d o v e r i n compromise r e s o l u t i o n s . E n t i r e l y a p a r t from t h e p o l i c i e s urged on each wing of t h e p a r t y by Moscow and P e i p i n g , extremists of e a c h wing have t h e i r own o o n v i c t i o n s which t h e y w i l l n o t give up. The C P I i n r e c e n t y e a r s h a s p r e v e n t e d t h i s fundamental c o n t r a d i c t i o n from t e a * l n g it a p a r t o n l y by allowi n g t h e p r o v i n c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s dominated by one o r a n o t h e r f a c t i o n t o follow in p r a c t i c e t h e i r own l i n e , w i t h i n v e r y broad limits commonly a g r e e d upon i n t h e c e n t e r . * With t h e c o n t i n u e d p o l a r i z a t i o n of t h e p a r t y a l o n g S o v i e t and C h i n e s e l i n e s , however, t h i s arrangement h a s t e n d e d t o b r e a k down, because worsening r e l a t i o n s between t h e CPSU and t h e CCP have

'

.I

*One prominent West Bengal p a r t y leader p r i v a t e l y acknowledged i n November t h a t t h e C P I had "now become almost a loose f e d e r a t i o n type" of p a r t y a l o n g t h e l i n e s of t h e I n d i a n bourgeois p a r t i e s

169

r.
\

c,..

c .

i n e v i t a b l y l e d t o open c o n f l i c t between t h e autonomous l e f t ist p r o v i n c e s and t h e c e n t e r . Basavapunniah on 6 November declared t h a t i f t h e C h i n e s e p a r t y were t o "take a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e CPSU'l--meaning a direct attack on Khrushchev--this would cause t h e breakup of t h e CPI; and i n t h i s he was p r o b a b l y . correct. In t h e absence of S i n o - S o v i e t mutual d i r e c t denunciat i o n , however, t h e CPSU w i l l i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e p r o b a b l y cont i n u e t o s t r i v e t o m a i n t a i n t h e f a c a d e of u n i t y i n t h e I n d i a n party. I t would do so if o n l y because t h e three greatest c e n t e r s of Communist p o p u l a r s t r e n g t h i n I n d i a - - K e r a l a , Andhra and West Bengal--are a l s o c e n t e r s of c o n s i d e r a b l e l e f t - f a c t i o n r a n k - a n d - f i l e s t r e n g t h , s o t h a t i n t h e e v e n t of the f o r m a t i o n of two Communist p a r t i e s i n I n d i a t h e l e f t i s t one, o r i e n t e d toward t h e CCP, might w e l l take w i t h it a g r e a t d e a l of t h e present party.
By t h e estimate of t h e CPI i t s e l f , t h e F e b r u a r y e l e c t i o n s are u n l i k e l y t o h e l p t h e p a r t y s i g n i f i c a n t l y , and a r e hence t h e m s e l v e s u n l i k e l y t o h e l p keep t h e p a r t y u n i t e d . T h e r e f o r e , whether and how l o n g t h e CPSU, i n t h e absence of an open Sino- S o v i e t s p l i t , would be s u c c e s s f u l in h o l d i n g t h e Indian p a r t y t o g e t h e r would depend on a number of l o n g - t e r m f a c t o r s which are beyond t h e s c o p e of t h i s p a p e r : how many c o n c e s s i o n s t h e CPSU would be w i l l i n g a g a i n t o m a k e t o t h e l e f t i s t f a c t i o n ; t h e development of S i n o - S o v i e t r e l a t i o n s , and of t h e p o l i c y of t h e Chinese l e a d e r s h i p toward t h e CPI; how f a r t h e S o v i e t d e s t a l i n i z a t i o n campaign is c o n t i n u e d and e x t e n d e d , and how far S o v i e t prestige s u f f e r s i n consequence; whether Nehru and h i s s u c c e s s o r s w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n government and t h e Congress p a r t y v e e r toward t h e l e f t o r t h e r i g h t on f o r e i g n and d o m e s t i c p o l i c y ; t h e o v e r a l l s t a t e of E a s t - W e s t r e l a t i o n s , and t h e p r o s p e c t s f o r t h e p e a c e f u l c o e x i s t e n c e l i n e ; and t h e related q u e s t i o n of t h e f u t u r e views of t h e S o v i e t l e a d e r s h i p on t h e c u r r e n t b a l a n c e of power, t h e l e v e l of acceptable r i s k s , and t h e c o n s e q u e n t choice of a more or less m i l i t a n t p o l i c y toward t h e West.

I
I

I
I

..

. . ..

., .

F i n a l l y , S o v i e t short-term c h a n c e s of a v e r t i n g a s c h i s m i n t h e CPI must h i n g e i n large p a r t on Idoscow's success or f a i l u r e i n f i n d i n g a s u i t a b l e s u c c e s s o r t o Ajoy Ghosh, who d i e d on 13 J a n u a r y 1962. I t w i l l b e most d i f f i c u l t t o d i s c o v e r any CPI leader who is b o t h f i r m l y r e l i a b l e f r o m t h e CPSU's p o i n t of view and capable o f c o n c i l i a t i n g t h e o p p o s i n g wings of t h e Ind i a n p a r t y in t h e i r p r e s e n t h o s t i l e mood. The m o s t o b v i o u s c a n d i d a t e w i l l be E.H.S. Namboodiripad, who h a s a s p i r e d t o

c... ..

'

.,

s u c c e e d Ghosh f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s and who h a s s e r v e d as a c t i n g g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y on o c c a s i o n ; however, Namboodiripad h a s made many gestures toward t h e l e f t i s t s o v e r t h e p a s t t w o y e a r s in r e s p o n s e t o t h e i r growing s t r e n g t h w i t h i n t h e p a r t y , and t h e r e are good i n d i c a t i o n s t h a t h e is now d i s t r u s t e d b o t h by t h e CPI's r i g h t wing and by t h e CPSU. If Namboodiripad were c h o s e n g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y , t h i s might i n c r e a s e l e f t i s t i n f l u e n c e w i t h i n t h e c e n t r a l CPI machinery s u f f i c i e n t l y t o i n d u c e t h e p a r t y m i l i t a n t s n o t t o s p l i t away--but a t t h e c o s t of r e d u c e d S o v i e t i n f l u e n c e w i t h i n t h e I n d i a n p a r t y and i n c r e a s e d If on t h e o t h e r hand Mosd i s a f f e c t i o n by t h e C P I r i g h t i s t s . cow w e r e t o s u c c e e d i n i n s t a l l i n g as g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y a r i g h t ist s u c h as Dange or even some n e u t r a l n o n e n t i t y , S o v i e t inf l u e n c e i n t h e p a r t y c e n t e r might be p r e s e r v e d , b u t t h e d a n g e r The most h o p e f u l e x p e d i e n t of a l e f t i s t s p l i t would be i n c r e a s e d . for Moscow would seem t o be t o a c c e p t Namboodiripad r e l u c t a n t l y as t h e new CPI l e a d e r and a t t e m p t t o i n f l u e n c e him s u b s e q u e n t l y t o t u r n a g a i n i n t h e S o v i e t and moderate d i r e c t i o n . T h i s , Namboodiripad is o p p o r t u n i s t i c enough t o do; b u t t h e r e is as y e t no e v i d e n c e t h a t Moscow h a s r e s o l v e d upon t h i s c o u r s e , o r t h a t , if f o l l o w e d , it would e x t r i c a t e t h e CPSU from its I n d i a n dilemma.

171

..